Beautiful Child
by Glow60
Summary: Gibbs is tied up in meetings while DiNozzo and McGee are sent to investigate a murder. What the two agents don't know is one of the people they are about to interview has a very dark and sadistic past. Both agents are injured but one of them is taken hostage. It is up to Gibbs and the others to find their missing friend.
1. Chapter 1

**Beautiful Child**

By Glow60

 _Believe it or not I started writing this story back in December 2010. Since then I have changed the title and have deleted and rewritten it several times. I liked the idea of the story but I haven't been able to make it work for me. If you have read any of my previous stories you will know Tony is my favorite and is usually the center of my stories and he will also be in this one because I have always had a soft spot for very Special Agent Tony DiNozzo. I feel he is the most misunderstood character on the show. I have read some of the remarks about Tony and some feel he is nothing more than a bully and a clown. They believe the show would be much better without him. I fully disagree with these fans because to me he is one of the strongest characters on the show. I know this is just my opinion but I don't believe the show would have been as successful if DiNozzo didn't exist. That being said…I also do not have any intention of bashing the other characters because I happen to like them too. I hope you enjoy the story and see where is goes._

 _ **Summary**_ _– This story takes place shortly after Ziva makes Gibbs choose between Tony and her. With one missing agent life still goes on. Gibbs is tied up in meetings while DiNozzo and McGee are sent to investigate a murder. What the two agents don't know is one of the people they are about to interview has a very dark and sadistic past. Both agents are injured but one of them is taken hostage by this sadistic killer. It's now up to Gibbs and the others to find their missing agent and bring him home._

 **Warnings…**

 _* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine._

 _** This story is rated M because of the language and the subject matter. You have been warned if you don't like please do not read._

 **Chapter 1**

 _ **May 2009 - Tel Aviv, Israel…**_

" _Gibbs…perhaps it is best if one of us gets transferred to another team."_

" _Transferred?"_

" _I need to be able to trust the people that I work with. I know you more than anyone understand that."_

 _He looks at her and then her father. He can see the grin on the bastard's face. He knows Eli must have put her up to it. He kisses her on the cheek and says, "Take care of yourself."_

It was now over a month since Ziva made Gibbs choose. Abby had finally stopped crying anytime someone mentioned the Israeli's name. DiNozzo, McGee and Ducky seemed to go about their business as if nothing happen but deep down inside they all missed her. Every now and then the phone on Ziva's old desk would ring. One of them would pick it up and tell whomever it was that David no longer works there.

Today…Vance and Gibbs were going to be tied up in meetings at the Hoover Building. Tony came into work early because Gibbs needed him to take care of some paperwork that had to be completed before the end of the day. Around eight, Tony was hungry so he decides to get something from the snack machine. As he was getting ready to walk into the break room he stopped immediately. He could hear two female agents talking about him and Ziva.

" _It is such a damn shame. After all this time, I still find it hard to believe that Ziva no longer works for us. I liked her because she showed those men that women could be just as good or better than them."_

" _Yah…I know what you mean. I saw her once take down both Brown and Sulewski in the gym."_

" _I still can't believe that Gibbs would have chose that jerk over her."_

" _Chose what jerk? What are you talking about?"_

" _Don't tell me you haven't heard the rumor that has been floating around? I got this from someone who happens to know someone that overheard the director and Gibbs talking. That person said Ziva really didn't want to leave but she had no choice. She made the mistake of telling Gibbs that she could no longer trust that jerk DiNozzo. She wanted Gibbs to choose between DiNozzo and her…and you know how men always stick together?"_

Seconds later Tony could hear the two women laughing. He takes a step back. He is no longer hungry and heads back to his desk to finish the paperwork.

An hour later, dispatch receives a call, a marine had been brutally murder and his body was dumped in a wooded area just a few miles outside of Quantico. It's a very busy Monday morning and the only team available at the moment was the senior team who were down two people.

DiNozzo answers the phone. "Sure Steve…we can do it. Give me the address and the person in charge." Tony writes down the information on a pad. He hangs up the phone and picks up his bag and starts to head toward the elevator, "Come on McGee we got a case. A Lance Corporal John Marcus was murdered and his body was dumped in a wooded area near Quantico."

McGee looks a little surprise; "I thought Gibbs wanted us to work only on cold cases until he gets back?"

When Tony didn't stop to answer his question, McGee grabs his bag and runs to catch up with him. As the younger man enters the elevator, Tony turns and looks at him, "Gibbs told me if something does come up and I think the two of us can handle it then we handle it."

"But Tony…it's only the two of us."

Tony turns and looks at the younger man and asks, "Look McGee you don't think we can handle the investigation by ourselves or do you think I can't handle taking the lead?"

McGee shook his head, "No…no Tony…that's not what I…I meant."

Tony presses the down button, "Listen McGee…before you, Kate or Ziva ever joined this team…it was just Gibbs and me and I think we did a pretty good job by ourselves."

At the crime scene, McGee could tell DiNozzo was still pissed. The senior field agent didn't say much as he split the work between them. The two worked quietly taking measurements and pictures. Almost an hour later, Tony was on the phone talking with the base commander while McGee was finishing up. Shortly afterwards, Ducky and Palmer bagged the body while Tony and McGee head to the Quantico.

For the next hour Tony and McGee searches Marcus' quarters and then begins to interview the men who worked in Marcus' platoon. The marines told them they remembered Marcus waking them up just before he left to go on his run. They thought he was crazy but Marcus always like to run alone in the early morning hours. He loved the fresh air and loved listening to the noises of every living thing starting to wake up. When DiNozzo ask them why they didn't become concerned when he didn't return, one of the marines told them they were on leave at the time. Marcus was supposed to go see his girlfriend and he told them he would not be back until the end of the Friday. McGee wrote down the girlfriend's name and address.

When they interviewed that last man, he told them they should talk to a Sergeant Paul Dupree because the sergeant also like to run at weird hours. Marcus one time mentioned that he had seen Dupree running.

When DiNozzo and McGee were finished with the interviews, they left to talk with Sergeant Dupree. When they arrived at the sergeant's quarters, they were told the sergeant was out running. One of the marines gave them the route the sergeant usually likes to take.

The route took them to an isolated part of the base. It didn't take long for them to spot the sergeant. He was coming in the opposite direction from them. DiNozzo slows the car down and stops. When Dupree was about forty feet from them, both DiNozzo and McGee open their doors and steps out of the car. The two walked toward the marine. They pull out their badges to identify themselves. The sergeant immediately sucker punches McGee in the stomach. The younger agent drops to the ground as he tries to catch his breath.

DiNozzo reaches for his gun but it's immediately kicked out of his hand. The sergeant hits Tony across the face and he falls backwards. The marine runs toward their car. He was just a few feet from the vehicle when DiNozzo tackles him from behind. Both of them continue to struggle for a few minutes before the two tumble down a steep embankment. Pain shoots through DiNozzo's leg when it hits a tree. Once they finally come to a stop, Dupree hits DiNozzo on the side of head and knocks him unconscious.

The sergeant pushes himself up off the ground; he looks around to get his bearings and tries to figure out what he is going to do. His eyes travel up the slope and he sees the agents' car. At the moment he knows it is going to be his only means of escape.

Before he heads up the slope, Dupree bents down and searches through the agent's pockets to see what he can find. He finds the agent's cell phone. He knows it can be used to track them. So, he pulls the battery out and tosses it as far as he could. As he continues to search the agent pockets he finds two sets of keys, a wallet, a pair of handcuffs, a knife and a gun. Dupree hears a low moan and he decides to use the handcuffs on the agent hands behind his back. He grabs the rest of the stuff and begins to climbs back up the embankment.

Once back on the road, Dupree heads toward the car and tosses everything he took off the agent's body onto the front passenger seat. He looks across the road and sees the other agent moving. He ran toward that agent because he didn't want to have any more problems with him plus he knew he was going to need a hostage just incase someone tries to stop him.

McGee finally catches his breath. He sees Dupree and tries to reach for his gun but Dupree kicks him in the face. This time McGee is out for the count. Dupree drags McGee's body behind some bushes so no passerby would see it. The marine searches through McGee's clothes and finds his cell phone and pulls the battery out before he tosses it like he did the other one. He takes McGee's gun, wallet and handcuffs. He checks for a pulse but can't find one. He covers any tracks that might have been left from dragging the body into the woods.

As Dupree is crossing the road he again looks both ways to make sure no cars are coming. He opens the car door and tosses the agent's things onto the passenger's seat. As he was getting ready to leave he takes one last look down the slop. He sees movement and realizes he could still have a bargaining tool after all. He smiles as he heads back down the slope. He drags the unconscious man up the embankment. He opens the trunk and puts the agent inside. He notices the agent's right leg looks like it could be broke. He grins because he knows this would stop the agent from getting too far if he tries to escape.

Dupree drives the car down the road about three miles and turns off onto an old dirt road. He parks the car behind some trees so no one will see it. Dupree jogs back to his quarters and gets a few of his personal things. He throws them into his car and drives back to where he left the fed's car. He moves the unconscious agent and the things he removed from both agents into his car. He made one last stop before he leaves the base and that is to dig up his special box. Once he has everything he finally leaves the base. As he is past the guards he smiles and waves to them. They wave back.

Dupree needs to do one more thing before he leaves the DC area; he stops by to see his old friend Doctor Martin Smith. Smith was his mentor from his early days at Guantanamo Bay. The two share a deep love of watching human suffering. It was kind of strange because Martin Smith was also the head military medical officer at the detention center. The doctor helped with some of the interrogations because he knew ever technique on torture and what drugs to use to pry the information from the prisoners. Sometimes the interrogators would go a little too far and the prisoner would stop breathing. Smith was always able to bring them back.

Dupree knocks and a few seconds later Smith opens the door. He smiles when he sees his old friend. Dupree tells Smith that he is in trouble with the feds and asked if he can stay there until nightfall. He needed to get out of the DC area but he didn't want to do it in the daytime. Smith tells him he is always welcome and to park his car inside the garage. Once the garage door is closed, Dupree tells Smith that he has an injured federal agent stuffed in the trunk. He tells him he wants to use him for a hostage and maybe some entertainment while he is on the run. Smith grins as Dupree opens the trunk. The two men pick the unconscious man up and carry him inside the house and lay him down on the bed in the spare room.

The physician in Smith looks at the unconscious man. Smith leaves the room to get his medical bag. When he returns he says, "He has a broken leg. I am going to have to set it if you want to keep him for a hostage. When I am finished, I will go to the bank to get you some money. I will also stop by the pharmacy and get a few things for the broken leg. If I don't fix his leg you're not going to get very far with him. He will become more of a hindrance than a hostage.

Dupree respects this man and knows he is right, "Then…do what you need to do. For now we are not going anywhere."

A little over an hour later, Smith returns with the money and the medical supplies to fix the agent's leg. Smith tells his friend to hold the agent down because it is going to hurt like hell when he sets the leg. At the moment Tony was semi-conscious and let out a scream when his leg was set. A few seconds later Tony passes out again.

While Smith was cleaning up, "Paul, have you thought about changing your appearance? While I was at the pharmacy I saw a newsflash about you and this agent. They were flashing both of your pictures. I bought you some hair dye if you want to change the color of your hair or…maybe his."

Dupree looks at himself in the mirror. "I wouldn't mind dying my hair but the fed is going to get a haircut. Martin…I still remember your teachings on how to effectively dehumanizes my victims."

Smith laughs because he knows he taught his protégé well. The doctor hands his friend a small leather bag. "Your friend here is a big boy. He is going to be hard to manage unless you have some special help. There are twelve needles already filled with a special mixture for someone his size. When needed just give him one of these and it will keep him under control."

Dupree smiles and he takes the bag, "Thanks…my friend. I am not sure how long I will have to stay in hiding but I may need you to make me some of your special stuff in a few weeks just incase I do run out."

"Just let me know."

Six hours later, Dupree was now driving a stolen car heading south on I-81…

 _The nightmare begins. I hope you enjoy…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Beautiful Child**

 _By Glow60_

 _Thank you all for your reviews, favorites and comments._

 _As for the Guest reviewer_

 _Your question was - Will this PLEASE be Ziva FREE! Hopefully please._

 _My answer is – In this story I can't promise it will be 100% Ziva free but it will be close to it._

 _Warnings…_

 _* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine._

 _** I did rate this story M and in this chapter you will find out why. There will be a rape. If you do not like please do not read any further._

 **Chapter 2**

 _ **Inside the Hoover Building…**_

Fornell and Gibbs step into the hallway. Their part of the meeting was finally over. The two old friends chat for a little while until Fornell cellphone rings and he has to leave. Gibbs checks his cellphone and sees he has only one message. It's from DiNozzo. He tells him that they are going to investigate a murder. He will call later when he finds out more about it. He put his cellphone back into his pocket and leaves.

Once back at NCIS he is surprised to find himself standing in the middle of a very empty bullpen. He tries to call DiNozzo and McGee but it goes into their voicemail. Gibbs calls Steve the dispatcher and tells him that he can't get a hold of his team and wants to know where he sent them. The dispatcher gives him the same information he gave DiNozzo. Steve tells him he should ask Doctor Mallard because he was there to pick up the body.

Gibbs heads down to autopsy, Ducky has nothing to tell him except that the last time he talked to them they were heading to Quantico to talk with the men in Marcus' platoon. Gibbs has a bad feeling. He heads straight to Abby's lab. He asked her to check and see if she could locate their cell phone. She has no luck and tells Gibbs their cell phones must be turned off or they are in some kind of dead zone. Gibbs pulls out his cell phone and calls the base commander to see if his two agents could still be at the base. The commander tells him he will call him back as soon he finds out something.

The wait was nerve racking for Abby. Gibbs could tell she was starting to make herself sick. He walks over and hugs her. A few seconds later Gibbs cellphone rings. Abby steps back so Gibbs can answer it. The news is not good.

" _Gibbs…the guard at the main gate said your agents came through at 1030 hours. He said your two agents showed him their badges and asked for directions to Marcus' platoon. I did check and your agents_ _did meet with the men. They told your agents that the last time they saw Marcus was yesterday morning and he was out on his morning run. One of the men mentioned to them they should talk with Sergeant Dupree because he sometimes likes to run at that time._

"Did my agents talk to Dupree?"

" _Right now all we know was they did go to Dupree quarters but they did not find him there. They were told Dupree was out running and they were given a couple of routes that he normally takes."_

"Where is Dupree now?"

The commander hesitated for a few seconds, _"Agent Gibbs…I was told Dupree left the base around 1230 hours. They said he was alone and in his own car at the time."_

"Does anyone know why he was leaving and where he was going?"

" _The guard at the gate said Sergeant Dupree was dress in his sweats. He just wave to them as he drove by."_

"Has anyone tried to call him?"

" _We did try…nothing and before you ask my men did check his quarters. He seems to have taken some thing but left his cellphone. I personally talked with Sergeant Brown who was the last to see him. He said Dupree seemed to be in a hurry. He told him he was going to be gone for a few days but that was all. Dupree then took his car and left."_

"Commander…I have a very strong feeling your sergeant has something to do with my agents' disappearance."

There was a pause. Finally the commander says, _"Agent Gibbs there is something…I…need to tell you about Sergeant Paul Dupree. He is a very dangerous man to be around."_

Gibbs tried to keep his voice down, "What do you mean by dangerous?"

" _Two months ago, Sergeant Dupree was transferred from Guantanamo Bay to this base. It surprised me because I was told he was one of the top interrogators at the detention camp. I wondered why they would transfer a highly skilled interrogator here and placed on desk duty. It just didn't make sense to me. I asked around but nobody would tell me anything. I finally called a friend of mine who has a brother stationed at the detention center. He told me that Dupree was nothing but a sadistic bastard. He said Dupree gets his sexual kicks from of torturing people."_

"Commander…why is this bastard still in the military?"

" _Dupree has been in the service for almost twenty years. He served four tours in Afghanistan. On the last tour he earned himself some medals when he saved the lives of several of his men. One of the men turned out to be the nephew of a general. When his tour of duty was over Dupree wanted to be transfer to Guantanamo Bay. The general made sure it happened. Dupree became their top interrogator. About six months ago, a prisoner was found dead. From what I was told whoever killed this man did some sadistic things to the poor bastard before he died. There was an investigation but nothing came out of it. Three months ago, it happen again and they decided it was time for Dupree to be transferred to a desk job somewhere else."_

"So…Dupree got away with it?"

" _Yes, but there is something else I need to tell you. Those years Dupree was in Afghanistan, some of native in the area turned up missing. Their of them were found and their bodies were badly mutilated. Nobody could point to who did it but it seemed to have stopped when Dupree came back to the states."_

Gibbs hung up on the commander. He calls Vance to let him know what is going on. When he is finished he heads to the base. By the time Gibbs arrives at the main gate, the guard tells him they have found one of his missing agents. "Agent Gibbs…the MPs found Agent McGee handcuffed and walking along the roadway. They said he had a large bruise covering almost half of his face. They said he was very disoriented and was not aware of his surroundings so they are taking him to base hospital right now."

"What about Agent DiNozzo?"

"Sorry sir…but we are still looking for him and the car they were traveling in?"

Gibbs closed his cellphone and headed straight to the hospital to check on McGee.

Thirty minutes later Gibbs is talking with the doctor who is overseeing McGee care. He tells Gibbs that McGee has a nasty concussion and will need to stay in the hospital for at least a couple of days. The doctor shows Gibbs to McGee's room. When Gibbs enters the room he finds a nurse checking the younger agent's vital. She nods at him and leaves the room. McGee was awake and sitting up. Gibbs couldn't help but notice the huge black and blue bruise that covers half the younger man's face.

Gibbs moves closer to the bed, "McGee…how are you doing?"

"Boss…I am sorry. I…"

"Tim it's not your fault but right now I need you to focus. DiNozzo is still missing. We need to find him. Do you know what happen to him? Do you know where he is?"

McGee is to confuse to think, "Boss? Tony? What…"

Gibbs leans in closer and repeats himself, "McGee…DiNozzo is missing? Do you know where he is?"

Gibbs could tell the younger man was trying his best to remember. Finally McGee says, "Boss I don't know. I…I don't. The last th…thing I remember was we…arrived at the base…one of the men told us we should talk to a sergeant. We went to…to talk to him. When we tried…tried to identify our…selves. He attacks me…first. I…couldn't breathe. Tony...went...went after him and tried to…to stop him. Sorry Boss…I don't re…remember…anything after that."

McGee slowly begins to close his eyes and Gibbs taps him gently on the chin, "McGee…I need you to stay awake for just for a few minutes longer. Think back…try to remember where you last saw Tony?"

Gibbs could see the change in McGee face when he realizes Tony wasn't with them, "Boss…Boss I am sorry I can't re…remember."

McGee can barely keep his eyes open. Gibbs finally tells the younger man. "Tim…you did good. For now, just concentrate on getting better. Get some rest I will be back a little later. We will talk some more then."

McGee slowly starts to close his eyes but opens them again, "Boss…when you see Tony tell…tell him I'm sorry…I…I didn't mean it."

"Didn't mean what?"

"That…that he couldn't lead a…a t…" McGee closes his eyes before he finishes the sentence. Gibbs wonders what that was all about. He was glad they were keeping McGee for a couple of days because the injured man was going to need someone keep an eye on him. He calls Abby and let's her know that they found McGee and also that Tony is still missing. He ask her if she could come by the hospital and stay with McGee while he continues his search for DiNozzo. She agrees and tells him she will be there in forty minutes.

Gibbs called the base commander to get an update on the search…

Just before sunset, the military police finally spotted the missing NCIS car hidden in the woods where Dupree had left it. Gibbs has the car towed back to NCIS. He calls Abby back in. She finds Dupree's fingerprints on the driver and passenger's doors, steering wheel and the trunk. She was almost in tears when she found bloodstains in the trunk of the car. She ran a test on it and confirms that the blood belongs to Tony.

 _ **Early The Next Morning Just a Little Outside of Memphis, TN…**_

Dupree had been driving most of night to avoid the law. It was now almost morning and it wouldn't be long before the sun would start to peek over the mountains. He does not want to be caught driving during the day so he starts looking for a place to sleep. It wasn't long before he spots an old dilapidated motel. He figures it would be a good place as any to get some sleep. Once inside he asks the motel clerk if he can have a room in the back of the motel. He tells the man his is a very light sleeper and doesn't want to be bothered by the noise of cars coming and going. The clerk says he understands and gives him a room way in the back. He pays in cash.

Dupree opens the door and looks inside. The room has a small kitchenette and two full size beds and a bathroom. He heads back outside to the car and starts to carry his things inside. Lastly…he looks around to make sure no one sees him. He reaches inside the car and picks the unconscious man up into a fireman carry and takes him inside. He closes the door with his foot. He lays the agent down on the bed. He turns on the TV so he can check the news. There is a nationwide alert on him and the missing NCIS agent. He grins when he hears the feds still thinks they might be in the DC area.

Dupree looks at the unconscious man lying on the bed and then looks at his watch. It's time to give his captives another shot. He opens up his bag and takes out a needle. He places the needle against the unconscious man's arm. When he is finished he puts the needle back into the bag because he doesn't want anyone to find it.

It still early in the morning and Dupree needs to buy a few things. He calls the office and the motel clerk tells him there is a superstore just down the road. He gets directions and thanks the man. He takes a shower and puts on some fresh clothes. He takes one last look at the unconscious agent. He is not worry about him waking up. The drugs in his system would keep him out for a while. As he heads out the door, he places the do not disturb sign on the door handle.

It takes him a little over an hour but he finally makes it back to the motel. The agent was still in the same position as he had left him. Dupree places the bags on the other bed. He sits down on the edge of the bed and stares at his hostage. At the moment he is too wound up to get any sleep. He needs something to release his pinned up energy. His eyes start to travel over the sleeping man.

In the past, every time he had tortured or killed someone he always found himself a prostitute to take care of his needs. Right now, he knows it wasn't going to happen so he decides to make do with what he has. He has never considered himself gay because he just likes sex and it never mattered to him who he was with at the time.

He grabs a small plastic bucket he had bought at the store and heads into the bathroom. He returns shortly with a washcloth, towel, soap and water. He cuts the clothes of the drugged man and begins washing him. When he is finished, he stands up and looks down at the unconscious man. This NCIS agent was really a good-looking man.

Dupree turns and retrieves a few things out one of the shopping bags and places them on the nightstand. He also places a towel on the bed just incase there are any messes. He turns off the light and sits down on the edge of the bed and begins removing his shoes, socks and clothes. He places a lubricated condom on his penis. He lies down in the bed and covers them both with the blanket. He scoots next to the unconscious man and presses his body against him. His hostage is so out of it he never wakes up. When Dupree is finished he gets up and heads to the bathroom to clean himself off. He takes a nice hot shower. A half an hour later, he decides its time for him to get some sleep. He lies down in the other bed, turns off the light and falls into a very deep sleep.

 _I promise I will try my best to post a chapter per week. Some weeks will have more chapters but it will depend on if I have the time. I debated or whether to post this story or not because its not everyone's cup of tea. I hope you like what I have written so far? Dupree is going to put Tony through hell while he has him. Will Gibbs and the others find him in time? I would also love to have some feedback._


	3. Chapter 3

**Beautiful Child**

By Glow60

 _In this chapter you are going to learn more about Dupree and what his plans are. These plans will include Tony but not in a good way._

 _Warnings…_

 _* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine._

 _** This story is rated M because of the language and the subject matter. You have been warned if you don't like please do not read._

 **Chapter 3**

 **A** _ **Little Motel Just Outside of Memphis, TN…**_

It was just a couple of hours before nightfall; Dupree was just lying there staring at the clock. It almost time for them to leave. He finally sits up and stretches. At the moment he feels so damn good. He looks at the man sleeping in the other bed and grins. He stands up and heads to the bathroom to take care of his business. He gets dressed and heads across the street to the restaurant to get them both something to eat. When he returns he places two bags of food on the small table.

Dupree turns and looks at the sleeping man. He needs to get him up. He knows that the drug he had given him hours ago should be wearing off any time now. He has already tangled with this man once and knows he can be a handful. He decides to give him a drug that will keep him awake be easy to manage. He reaches into his backpack and pulls out his special box. To him this box was his most prized possession. His mentor Smith had given it to him on his last birthday. He grins as he slowly opens it. Inside were two-dozen vials of different kinds of drugs. He picks the one he needs and fills the needle one quarter of the way. He grins as he checks to make sure there are no air bubbles. When he is ready he walks over to the bed and pulls the blanket back. Seconds later he quickly shoves the needle into the sleeping man's bare hip.

DiNozzo immediately opens he eyes and sits up. He is confused and disoriented. He looks around but everything seems to be blurry. It takes a few seconds for his eyes to adjust. He finally sees a man standing next to the bed. Tony stares at the man for a few seconds before he realizes who he is. "Dupree…where the hell am I?"

Dupree smiles as he says, "Good…you remember me." __

Tony tries to keep calm as he asks again, "Where am I and why am I here?"

"I needed a hostage and you are it."

Suddenly Tony remembers McGee, "W…where's my partner? What have you done to him? Is he okay?"

Dupree ignores his questions. "DiNozzo…we are going to be leaving shortly. I want you to take a shower but first I need to wrap a plastic bag around your cast so it doesn't get wet.

Tony looks down at his broken leg but he also now realizes he is naked. He tries to covers himself with the blanket as he asked again, "Where's my partner?"

Again Dupree ignore his question and drops the plastic bag next to the injured leg, "Lift so I can place the bag under it. DiNozzo…I am warning you don't try anything funny or I am going to have to hurt you."

Tony lifts his leg as a sharp pain shoots through it. It takes a couple of seconds before the pain eases. He tries lifting his foot again and finally places it on the bag. Dupree immediately wraps the bag around the cast and then tapes it so no water will seep in.

Tony tries for the third time, "W…where is my…partner? Is he okay?"

Dupree looks up. "Listen DiNozzo…you're my hostage and you're going to do as I say. Now get up I need you to take a shower because I don't want to have to smell your stinking ass while we are on the road."

"I am not going anywhere until you tell me what happen to McGee."

Dupree was starting to lose his patients. Finally his said, "Take your shower and I will tell you afterwards."

Tony tries to stand up but the drugs and the pain in his leg causes him to almost fall backwards.

Dupree watches but doesn't help.

Tony makes another attempt to stand up and this time he is successful. He slowly limps toward the bathroom. Dupree follows closely behind him. As Tony enters the bathroom he stops and stares at himself in the mirror. He is shocked at what he sees. Besides being naked, both his head and chest have been shaved.

Dupree almost grins when he sees the reaction. He wants to dehumanize this man and this was only the beginning. Dupree orders Tony to get into the shower. Tony almost jumps when the cold water hits him. Dupree hands him a cloth with some soap and tells him to clean himself. When Tony is finished Dupree orders him step outside the shower so he can dry him off, remove the plastic bag and helps him into some sweats. When they are finished in the bathroom Dupree orders him to go into the other room and sit at the table. The marine tosses one of the bags to him and tells him to eat.

Dupree begins to police the room because he didn't want to leave anything behind that would alert the feds that they had been there. As he was checking the bed he was glad he had placed a towel on it. It appears there was some bleeding. Dupree takes the bloodstained towel and tosses it in a plastic bag. He takes all of the bags out to the car. When he is finished he sits down at the table to get himself something to eat. He is not surprised to see DiNozzo's bag untouched and the agent was just staring at him. Dupree grabs the bag and pulls out a hamburger and tosses it to Tony, "Eat DiNozzo…we have a long drive ahead."

"I am not going to do anything until you tell me what happen to my partner? Is he alive?"

For a few seconds, Dupree just sits there and stares at him. He is debating on whether to tell him the truth or not. Early this morning while he was watching the news, he found out the other agent wasn't dead but injured. He decides he is going to lie. He takes a bite from his burger and laughs, "Sorry but your partner didn't make. To bad you couldn't save his ass."

That was all it took, Tony charges out of his chair and attacks Dupree but the marine is ready for him. Dupree laughs as he grabs the weaker/drugged man and pushes him to the floor. He then jumps on top of Tony and pins him so he can't move. Dupree whispers into Tony's ear, "I can still hear him begging for you to save his ass before I used your own gun to shot him."

Tony struggles even harder but to no avail.

Dupree places his leg so he can put pressure against his hostage's broken leg. Tony did everything he could not to scream out.

Dupree whispers in a more sexually tone, "Listen DiNozzo…I would like for us to leave but if you want to stay here another day. I'm game because I really enjoyed having you while you were asleep. Best sex I have had in a long time."

Tony struggles even harder to free himself. He wants nothing more then to kill this bastard.

Dupree laughs as he continues to keep him pinned. Finally after a few minutes he feels Tony finally stops struggling and gives up in defeat. Dupree stands up and looks down at the man, "DiNozzo…now get your ass up. Eat something…we have a long night ahead of us."

 _ **Several Hours Later Near the Border of Arkansas…**_

Dupree keeps himself awake by listening to the music and talking to his unconscious passenger. "Just think DiNozzo…all we have to do is lie low until the heat dies down. Once that happens you and I can leave the states and join some mercenary group. It is something I always wanted to do. Now that I have you…we can do it together."

He grins as he sees the welcoming sign to the state of Arkansas. "Look DiNozzo…we are almost at our destination."

A few hours later, it started to get lighter outside; he could now make out the outlines of the mountains. He pulls into a McDonald's drive thru and orders some breakfast for himself and his sleeping/drugged passenger. Once he receives his food he heads back onto the road and turns the dial on the radio back up. The station was playing Tim Mcgraw's song _'Remember Me'._ Dupree reaches his hand inside the bag and pulls out a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit. He unwraps his breakfast and takes a bite out of it. He grins because he is now free to do anything he desires.

 _Seven Hours Earlier…_

 _Dupree knew he was going to have to ditch the car and get a four-wheel drive for where they are going. He pulls into a rest stop and parks the car. He looks at his passenger and knows he is going to have a problem with him for what he is about to do. So he reaches into the back seat and grabs a bottle of water and orders him to drink it. He watches as the man first sniffs it before he puts it to him mouth. Within minutes DiNozzo is passed out in the front passenger's seat._

 _He sits there quietly and waits. After about an hour there is only his car and a pickup truck. He decides he is going to take it. He starts the car up and parks it next to the truck. He smiles because the truck is a four-wheel. The truck's windows are partially down and he can see a man sleeping in the driver's seat. He looks around one last time to make sure there are no people or cameras near to see what he is about to do. He waits a few seconds before he knocks on the window._

 _When the sleeping man opens his eyes, Dupree turns on his charm, "Sir…do you have any jumper cables. I tried starting my car and I think my car battery just died on me."_

 _The old man rubs the sleep from his eyes and opens the door, "Sure son…just give me a minute to get them."_

 _Dupree waits patiently as the old man steps out of his truck and that is when he grabs the poor unsuspecting old man from behind and chocks him to death. He didn't feel any remorse as the man falls to the ground. He looks at the body and knows he needs to get rid of it before someone sees it. He does not want anyone to know he has been here or what has happened. He drags the body to the car and places it into the back seat the car. He wakes up DiNozzo and helps him into the passenger's seat. He straps him in the front passenger's seat and shuts the door. He grabs everything he needs and transfers it from the car to the truck. Lastly he takes the keys out of the ignition and locks up the truck. He drives the car a couple of miles down the road and then drive it into the lake. With the light from the moon, he watches as car slowly sinks into the water. When the car is fully submerged he smiles. He then jogs back to the rest stop._

 _ **Present Time…**_

Dupree hears a low moan coming from the passenger's seat. He asks his passenger if he wants something to eat but there are only a few low moans before it's becomes quiet again. He grins as he takes another bite of his breakfast. He can't wait to mess with this man's head.

Dupree sees a small sign telling him he is now entering Newton County. He pulls over to the side of the road and looks at the map. According to his notes the old dirt road should be somewhere in this area. It takes him a few seconds but he finally spots the entrance. He puts the truck in drive and heads toward it.

As he drives up the road he starts to think about his stepfather David Wilson and how much he hated the man. His mother married that man so he could have a father figure in his life. It didn't work out because he didn't want to share his mother with anyone. He did everything he could to break them up and it worked.

He remembers right after his mother married Wilson, his new stepfather decided to take them to visit his parents. His parents were James and Sarah Wilson. The two met when they both serve in the Vietnam War. James was a helicopter pilot and Sarah was air traffic controller. David told them the two fell in love and when the war was over they decide to get married. For a while they lived in Sarah's home state of New York. After a few years of living in what they called the modern world, James' parents died and the two moved to the mountain. The place had limited modern conveniences and the two decided to keep it that way.

It took Dupree a little over forty-five minutes to reach the top of the mountain. He could hear the dogs barking before he even sees the buildings. He parks the stolen truck just a few feet from a very old dilapidated barn. He decides to stay in the vehicle for a little while so he can study the layout of the land. He could see the old farmhouse just a few hundred feet away. He spots his stepfather's parents sitting on the porch. He watches as the old man, who would be now in his mid seventies picks up his rifle and walks toward him. Five barking dogs follow behind him. When the old man was just a few feet from the truck he whistles for the dogs to be quiet. The old man cocks his rifle and points it at him, "Strangers are not welcome here."

Dupree slowly opens the driver's side door and raises both of his hands just a little as he steps outside of the truck. He really did not want to address the old man as his grandfather but he had no choice, "Grandpa…it's me…Paul." He watches as the old man studies his face for a few seconds and then sees fear in the old man's eyes when he finally recognizes who is standing in front of him.

Dupree slowly lowers his hands just a little, "Grandpa…please just listen to me before you say or do anything…I promise you I have changed. I'm not that disturb boy you once called me. I have turned my life around. I've been in the Marine Corps for the past twenty years. I have served my country with pride."

The old man continues to keep his rifle pointed at him, "Paul…I told my son I never wanted to see you again and I meant it?"

"I know grandpa…but I promise you I have changed."

"Why are you here?"

"I need your help. My friend and I just got out of the service. We decided to take some time and explore the country before we find jobs. We were hiking near Buffalo River when my friend fell and broke his leg. He can't do much with the broken leg and the medicine they gave him. We just need a place to stay for a little while until he is better."

"Paul…I don't want you here."

The marine takes a step closer, "Grandpa…you can't just turn us away…I know what I did to those dogs was wrong and I do regret it. I am sorry grandpa."

"Paul…you may have been part of my son's family but I still remember and it's hard to forget. After you left I had to put puppies down. Your grandmother cried for days."

At this very moment he thought about killing the old man but he knew he might need him. "Look Grandpa…I am sorry for what I did but I was just a stupid boy back then. I was inquisitive and didn't understand what the repercussions would be. You can't hold that against me. You know how dumb kids can be sometimes?"

The old man shakes his head; "No…no…no you're wrong…normal kids do dumb things. What you did was…was not normal…it was pure evil…just pure evil. You…"

Dupree could tell the old man wasn't going to budge so cuts him off, "Look Grandpa…if we can't stay here we have no other place to go. My friend is too injured and medicated to travel. We can't afford to stay at a motel for weeks until he is better."

"What about his family? Why can't they take him?"

"He doesn't have any that care enough to help. Right now…I'm all he has and I can't just leave him. Grandpa…if you let us stay here and I promise I will help you fix up the place. From the looks of it…it sure looks it sure could use it."

The old man just stands there for a few seconds trying to decide if he should believe his grandson or not. Maybe after all these years, he really has changed? After all he is trying to help his friend. Maybe he should give him a chance? He knew his grandson was right about one thing. This place does need to be fixed up and he could use the help. He finally lowers he gun all the way and moves closer, "Let me look at your friend…."

Dupree grins as he opens the door. Little did this old man know what he was getting himself into by agreeing to let him stay…

 _I hope you enjoyed…feedback is welcome._


	4. Chapter 4

**Beautiful Child**

By Glow60

 _To the guest reviewer – How did Tony not know he had been rape?_

 _My answer – If you remember Tony was unconscious when the rape took place. Earlier he had been injured when Dupree and he fought. They both fell down an embankment so besides his broken leg he must be pretty sore all over. When he wakes up in the motel he still had remnants of a drug in his system. I believe when he saw he was naked, he knows something must have happen but at the moment he is more concern about his predicament and what happen to McGee. When Dupree finally tells him what he did, it just confirms his suspensions and that is why he became even angrier at what that bastard did to him. I hope this answers your question and thank you for your comments._

Warnings…

 _* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine._

 _** This story is rated M because of the language and the subject matter. You have been warned if you don't like please do not read._

 **Chapter 4**

Dupree smiles as he opens the passenger's side door. He watches, as James Wilson looks inside and stares at the sleeping man for a few seconds. The old man takes a step back and turns toward his grandson, "He looks pretty out of it. Are you sure he don't need to stay in a hospital or something?"

"The doctor cleared him to leave."

"Alright Paul…I will let you both stay here until he is better. But…I am going to warn you…if you try to hurt any of my animals I will kick both you and your friend off my land. Do I make myself clear?"

Dupree continues to smile, "Yes Grandpa…you don't have to worry about me." Dupree continues to grin because this old man didn't need to worry about his animals. He already has something to satisfy his sadistic appetite and he brought it with him.

Dupree looks toward the house, "How is grandma doing these days?"

The old man looks in the direction where his wife is sitting on the porch, "She is doing okay I guess. It been years since David died but she still misses him. I sometimes find her sitting in his old room staring at his pictures."

Dupree tries to keep a straight face when his stepfather's name is mention. If the old man only knew the truth about his son's death, he would have never lower his gun. The fugitive marine turns and begins to unfasten the safety belt on the unconscious man.

"What is your friend's name?"

"His name is Tony…Tony Malone."

"Have you two known each other for long?"

Dupree ignores the question as he tries to wake up the sleeping man. Tony finally opens his eyes halfway. The marine grins and acts like they are friends "Come on Tony…I need you to wake up. We've got to get you into the house so you can lay down on a bed."

Tony is too out of it to understand what is happening. Right now he only wants to sleep so he closes his eyes and tries to go back to sleep.

Dupree is not going to let him, "Come on Tony…I need you to get out of the truck."

This time Tony opens his eyes and tries to focus them but they don't seem want to cooperate. He tries to go back to sleep but someone won't let him. He feels someone trying to pull him out of the truck. If whoever it was hadn't been holding him he knew he would have fallen to the ground. As they were walking, he jumped when the person who is holding him up yells right next to his ear.

"NO! Leave my stuff in there. I will get it later."

The old man stops in his tracks and watches as his grandson quickly reaches into his pocket with his free hand and pulls some kind of device and locks the door with it. Dupree then turns and walks toward the house.

As the old man starts to follow him he notices a piece of paper lying on the ground. He reaches down and picks it up. It's a business card and it belongs to L. Jethro Gibbs special agent. The old man decides to keep it. He slips the card into his front shirt pocket and heads toward the house.

As Dupree steps onto the porch, the old woman stands up and moves toward him. She studies his face. Finally she says, "You look familiar…do I know you?"

Dupree grins because he remembers her thinking that he was the sweetest most perfect little angel she had ever seen. This old woman had even come to his defense when her husband told her he had witnessed him hurting the puppies. Now here she was standing only a few feet from him. He thought to himself time had not been good to this old woman.

"Yes Granny, you remember me…I am Paul…your grandson."

The old woman studies his face for a few seconds. She moves a little closer so she could get a better look at his face. She finally smiles, "My goodness Paul…you got so big. Paul who is this with you? Is he okay?"

"Grandma…this is my friend Tony. He was hurt in an accident and he needs to lie down somewhere."

She reaches out and almost touches the man's face, "What happened to the poor child?"

"Granny...please…we can talk about this later. Right now he needs to lie down."

The old woman moved to open the front door, "Paul…you can put your friend in your dad's old room. Remove his clothes. I think I still have some of your father's old nightshirts. It will be more comfortable for him. James…can you go get a couple of the old quilts from the attic…"

 _ **Washington D.C...**_

For the past couple of days, Gibbs slept, ate and showered at NCIS. At one point he asked Ducky if he could stop by his house and get him a change of clothes. He had no intention of leaving NCIS until he finds out what happen to his senior field agent.

It was just before the morning light, Gibbs found himself standing in the middle of a very empty bullpen. He was now a team leader without a team. Ziva was gone, DiNozzo was missing and McGee wasn't allowed to come back to work until the doctor clears him for desk duty.

Under normal condition Gibbs normally would hear the elevator door open but he was too deep in thought. He jumped when he heard when he heard someone call his name and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Jethro…I'm sorry I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that."

Gibbs was a little annoyed with himself for letting that happen. He took the bag and looked inside, "Thanks Duck."

"Jethro…both Abby and I are worried about you."

"There is nothing to worry about. I am fine. Tony is the one you two should be worrying about."

The old friend moves a little closer to his friend. "Jethro…I know how much your team means to you. A few years ago we lost Caitlin and it affected you greatly even if you didn't want to admit it at the time. A little over a month ago, Ziva chose to stay in Israel and I know how much it bothers you and I know you are blaming yourself for that one too. Now there is a strong possible that our dear Anthony is…"

Gibbs raised his finger to stop him, "No…don't you say it. DiNozzo is not dead."

"My friend…I know you have this uncanny ability for sensing things that usually turned out to be true but what if this time you are wrong? Jethro…if Anthony were alive wouldn't we have heard something by now?"

"Duck…my gut is telling me DiNozzo is still alive and as long as we have not found a body I will not give up looking for him. I know he is out there somewhere and needs my…our help."

"Jethro…what if your gut is wrong this time?"

Gibbs stared at his friend for a few seconds before he said; "I will bring him home no matter."

 _ **Two Weeks Had Passed…**_

Rumors had begun circulating throughout the building that DiNozzo was dead and it was because of his partner. Some agents believed McGee should never have been made a field agent and that he belongs in basement with the cyber geeks.

During this time, Gibbs was too busy focusing on finding DiNozzo that he was not aware of the rumors until he walked into Abby's lab and found her arguing with Agent Allen Lavelle. She was just getting ready to slap him when Gibbs manages to grab her hand in mid air. Gibbs orders the agent to leave and told him he would talk to him later.

Gibbs turns his attention back to the female forensic specialist, "Abby what the hell was that all about? Do you realize the trouble you could have gotten into if you hit him? He could still bring you up on charges if he wants too. You could lose your job."

Abby was angry and she wasn't going to hold back, "Gibbs right now…I…I don't care about my job. Agent Lavelle had no right to blame our poor Timothy for what happen to Tony. Tim couldn't help what happen. Just because Tim works with computers doesn't mean he is incompetent in the field."

Gibbs looked surprised, "Abby…what are you talking about?"

Abby pulled out a folded piece of paper she had stuffed in her pocket and handed it to Gibbs. "I found this on the floor in the break room. It pissed me off."

Gibbs unfolded the paper and was surprise to see a picture of McGee with a red no symbol on it. Above it was the words. _'Senior Agents shouldn't let jock wannabes work in the field.' Underneath was the words 'Computer Geeks need to be in the basement were they belong'._

"Gibbs…I check around and found out it was Agent Lavelle who make these flyers up and was passing them around. I called him down here to confront him about it. He told me he thought it was funny and said that I shouldn't take it so serious. When I told him what I really thought about it…it was when he told me everyone thinks Tony would be alive and here today if it wasn't for that useless computer geek partner of his. That was when you walked in." Abby then reached out and hugged the older man, "GIBBS…TONY IS NOT DEAD AND TIMOTHY IS NOT AT FAULT. Why would Agent Lavalley say such a horrible thing to me when he knows Tim, TONY and I ARE REALLY GOOD FRIENDS? I…I just can't…" Abby buried her head into Gibb's shoulder.

"Abby…I will deal with Special Agent Lavelle? Right now…I want to know what is going on in that head of yours?"

Abby hugs him even tighter, "Gibbs…we lost Kate and Ziva decided not to come back. Now there is a strong possibility we have lost Tony too. I can't take this…Gibbs. I can't lose anyone else in our family."

Gibbs stopped her, "Abby…nobody has shown me a body until then DiNozzo still needs us."

Abby pushed herself away from Gibbs. She started wiping the tears from her face, "You're right…it's just that I…I am so worried about Tony. I want him back here and safe with us."

Gibbs moved closer so he could whisper into her ear, "I want the same thing too Abbs. McGee will be back to work tomorrow. We need to let him know that our feelings for him haven't changed too? Can you be strong for him? For both of them?"

Abby wipes the tears from her eyes as she nods.

Gibbs smiled and kissed her on the forehead, "Good…now I am going to have a talk with Director Vance about putting an end to these damn rumors."

An hour later Vance calls an all hands meeting in the main office area. He tells everyone at the meeting what they know so far about the disappearance of Agent DiNozzo. Afterwards he talks about the rumors that were floating around the office. He tells the group that this agency is built on facts and not rumors. If the rumors continue he will have no choice but to find the people who are responsible and see that they no longer work for this agency. Lastly he asked everyone to keep Agent DiNozzo in his or her thoughts and prayers.

Thirty minutes later, Gibbs is sitting at his temporary desk when Balboa and his team walk into the bullpen. They had been out checking on some leads to do with Dupree but none of them panned out. Gibbs didn't know how much longer he could keep taking these disappointments. Something has to give before it is too late.

In the early morning hours of the next day, McGee heads straight down to Abby's lab. The bruise on his face had faded some but it had not gone away completely. He was a little uncomfortable about it so Abby uses some of her makeup to cover the yellowish-brown blemish. She hands McGee her compact mirror so he could see her work. He smile as he studies his face, "It looks good. You were right Abby…you can't tell the bruise was ever there or that I have makeup on."

Abby hugs him, "McGee…it's so good to have you back."

McGee returns the hug.

By the time McGee walked into the bullpen, Gibbs was already sitting at his desk. He smiles at the younger man and McGee smiles back at him.

McGee sits down at his desk and turns his computer on. Seconds later, he gradually looks over at the empty desk. He won't admit it to anyone but he misses his co-worker and friend. He turns his attention back to the computer and begins checking his email.

Gibbs watches the younger man for a few seconds and then stands up. He picks up a folder and walks over to McGee's desk. He places the folder down, "McGee…I know the doctor told you to rest while you were at home. I also believe is not way in hell you would have listen to the doctor."

McGee smiled sheepishly, "You…you're right Boss but I had no luck."

Gibbs points to the folder. "McGee…this is what we have found so far on Dupree. I want you to look through it. See if you can find something we might have missed. Get Abby or whomever you need to help you."

Around noon, Abby tries to invite McGee out to lunch but he declines it. He didn't want to stop searching so Abby ordered the food to be delivered…

 _ **Ozark Mountains**_

James Wilson had been keeping a very close eye on his grandson. He wanted to believe his grandson had changed but something inside told him different. His grandson did keep his promise about helping to repair the buildings. So far, Paul had driven twice into town to buy some materials so they can work on the barn. Paul worked beside him and did everything he asked. At night grandson would sit on the porch with them and watch the sun set.

James also noticed a difference in his wife. She seemed to enjoy the company. She had a purpose and she seemed like her old self. She was cleaning, cooking and even fussing all over the injured young man who now occupies their son's old room. The older man found his grandson's friend charming and polite. His wife seems to melt every time the younger man would smile at her. At one point he even pulls his wife aside and jokingly asks her if there was something going on between them. His wife laughs and calls him an old coot.

While he was enjoying the change in his wife, he couldn't help but notice that something was not quite right with the relationship between his grandson and the man that was suppose to be his friend. Anytime Paul was around the injured man he would become very quiet and not make eye contact with him. The old man wonders why…

 _ **Two Weeks Ago…**_

 _When Tony first woke up he was very confused and disoriented and not sure where he was or how he got there. His head hurts and his vision is a little blurry and from what he could see at the moment it looks like there was two of everything. He rubs his eyes and it helps just a little. He tries to move but a sharp pain shoots through his leg. He closes his eyes and waits until the pain eases up just a little. When he finally opens them again he sees what looks like someone walking toward him. He wasn't sure who it was. He whispers, "Gibbs?"_

 _The person sits down on the side of the bed and says. "No…Agent DiNozzo…it's just me Sergeant Dupree. You do remember me don't you?"_

 _Tony stiffens as he has flashes of the sergeant hitting McGee and the younger man falling to the ground. He remembers Dupree telling him that McGee is dead._

 _Dupree puts his hand on Tony's injured leg and begins rubbing it, "Listen DiNozzo…I know you want to kill me but I need you to keep your voice down so we can talk. Right now, we are staying in my grandparents' house and this place is in a very isolated part of the country. It has some electricity but there are no phone service. In your condition it will be very hard for you to escape and find help. So you better behave yourself while you are here. My grandparents think you're my friend Tony Malone and you better let them continue to think that way. If not, I won't hesitate to kill either one of them."_

 _Tony tries to remain calm, "But…they're your grandparents. How could…you?"_

 _The marine whispers, "I don't give a fuck about my grandparents or you. If you think I do then you are going to be in for a big surprise."_

 _Tony hears the marine laugh softly as he moves his hand away from the injured leg._

" _What kind of monster are you?"_

 _Dupree laughs, "I am the kind of monster you don't want to piss off."_

" _Why not just kill me?"_

 _Tony could feel the man staring as he waited for an answer. Finally he says, "I have already told you I might need you as a hostage."_

 _Tony whispers, "I saw what you did to Marcus. You didn't just kill him…you tortured and made him suffer before he died."_

 _At the moment the marine didn't get a chance to answer because the old woman opens the door and walks into the room. She is happy to see her patient is finally awake. She mumbles something to herself and then ran out of the room. Minutes later she returns with some of her homemade chicken vegetable soup. She sits down on the edge of the bed and begins to feed her patient. Even with his poor eyesight, Tony does not take his eyes off of Dupree. He watches as the man takes a step back but does not leave the room…_

 _It is still going to be a while before Tony is rescued. I hoped you enjoy. Feedback is welcome._


	5. Chapter 5

**Beautiful Child**

By Glow60

 _Thanks to everyone who has taking the time to leave a review._

Warnings…

 _In this chapter Dupree wants nothing more then to dehumanize and control Tony. He will do anything he can to accomplish it. I must warn you ahead of time there will be another rape. This time Tony will be awake but there is nothing he can do to stop it from happening. That being said, I do not plan to make this a story about sex. Dupree is only doing this to destroy Tony's spirit and gain control of him._

 _* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine._

 _** This story is rated M because of the language and the subject matter. You have been warned if you don't like please do not read._

 **Chapter 5**

The old man watches as his grandson finished repairing one of the stalls in the back of the barn. He was impressed with his grandson's carpenter skills. Paul had told him he had acquired these skills while serving in Afghanistan. He and some of the men in his unit helped to rebuild homes and schools that were destroyed in the bombing. James now wondered if he had been wrong about his grandson. Paul had done everything he had promised and more. The repairs to the barn were almost finished and they plan to work on the house next.

Around noon the two men decided to take a lunch break. As they were heading toward the house, Paul told his grandfather he needed to get something from his truck and he would be there shortly.

As soon as James opened the door he can hear his Sarah laughing. He slowly moves toward the kitchen and peeks inside. He is surprised to see their injured guest up and walking around. A couple of days ago he had made him a pair of crutches but he didn't get the feeling that the young man was going to use them right away but he was happy not to see that he was using them.

James smiled when he heard his wife telling the young man how they met.

He decides to join in the conversation, "Tony…don't believe what my Sarah told you. It was she who proposed to me. If I remember correctly it was the day after your birthday. I was coming back from a mission."

Sarah smiles, "Don't listen to him child…my James proposed to me right after we celebrated my twenty-first birthday."

"I was drunk at the time."

"We were both drunk and I accepted it. It counts…"

Tony laughs until he spots Dupree standing behind the old man. Tony could sense that Dupree was not happy to see him there. He stands up and grabs his crutches. "I enjoyed the talk but I am starting to get tired. I guess I will go lie down for a while."

The old woman stops him, "No child…lunch should be ready in a few minutes. Please eat something before you go lie down."

Tony looks at Dupree. His captor nods for him to do as she says. Tony sits back down at the table. During lunch Tony barely spoke a word and didn't eat much. When lunch was over he thanks Sarah and heads back to the bedroom.

A few minutes later Dupree excuses himself and tells them he is going to check on his friend. When Dupree comes out of the room he is smiling. Sarah asks him if his friend is okay. Dupree laughs and tell her to stop worrying about him so much.

The old woman watches as her grandson heads back outside. She stares at the bedroom door for a few seconds and then decides to knock on it. When she doesn't receive an answer she heads back into the kitchen so she can put the food away.

Meanwhile inside the bedroom, Tony is still awake. He hears the knock and is relieved when whoever it was didn't enter the room. The drug Dupree had just given him was making him feel weird. He knew if he even attempted to stand up right up now he would have fallen on his face. He feels trapped and not sure what to do. If he tries to fight back Dupree has already threatened to hurt the old couple and he knows in his the condition he would not be able to protect them.

For the rest of the afternoon, Dupree stays outside helping his grandfather. Around seven the two head back into the house. Sarah has dinner waiting for them. At one point Sarah asked her grandson if he would go and checked on his friend and see if he wants to eat. Dupree looks a little annoyed but tells her he would. He comes back in a few minutes and said he was still sleeping. After dinner, Sarah asked him if he would take a plate of food to his friend and makes sure he eats something. Dupree reluctantly does as his grandmother ask.

Dupree opens the door and turns the light on. He sets the food down on the little table and then closes the door behind him. He sits down on the empty bed and watches as his hostage slowly opens his eyes and just stares at him.

He looks at the plate of food, "DiNozzo my grandmother wants me to make sure you eat something. Are you hungry?"

Tony doesn't say a word.

Dupree smiles as he picks up a biscuit, "I can see you're not hungry so I guess I just eat it myself. I don't want my grandmother thinking you don't like her food."

Tony continues to just stare.

When Dupree was finished eating, he reaches out and pulls Tony's blanket back. He tries to touch Tony's injured leg but Tony pushes his hand away.

Dupree is annoyed but he puts on a fake smile as pulls his hand away. He decides at that moment he will wait until tomorrow to teach his captive a very important and painful lesson. He wants to do it in a more private setting. He whispers as he begins to unbutton his shirt, "DiNozzo…sleep well tonight, tomorrow you and I are going to get some fresh air."

Tony was not sure what he meant but he was sure he was not going to like it.

The next morning at breakfast Dupree tells his grandparents that he wants to take a break from the work today. He wants to take his friend Tony to the pond and let him get some fresh air. He asks his grandfather if he can take two of the horses.

The old man was a little hesitant at first but his grandson seemed to have changed. He believed he could now trust him.

Dupree smiles not because his grandfather now trusts him but because the stupid bastard is so gullible.

Sarah begins picking up the plates, "I think it would be good for Tony to get out of the house and get some fresh air. It will do him wonders."

A little later, Paul and Tony with his crutches leave the house. Paul tells Tony to start walking toward the barn and he will catch up. He needs to get something out of the truck. Dupree hurries and opens the truck door and grabs a few things he is going to need. He smiles as he locks the truck door and heads toward the barn. Once inside the structure, Paul saddles the horses and helps Tony onto the horse.

The trip takes over an hour to reach the pond. Tony is too focus on his captor to notice how beautiful the scenery was. When they finally reach the pond, Dupree orders him to dismount. This time Dupree does not help him. Pain shot through Tony's leg as he touches the ground with his broken leg. It takes him a few seconds before the pain eases up.

Dupree finally says, "Okay, this will be a good place as any."

Tony asked, "A good place for what?"

Dupree moves within a few inches of Tony's face. "This is where I am going to teach you to listen to me. As long as you are with me you will obey me. You will not be defiant to me."

"Defiant?"

"Yes…you talk with my grandmother without my permission and you seem to have a problem with me touching you."

Tony doesn't say a word as Dupree continues, "From now on you will not talk with my grandparents unless I allow you to talk to them."

Tony becomes uncomfortable when Dupree starts eyeing him up and down. Dupree reaches out to touch him.

Tony immediately takes a step back.

Dupree moves a little closer, "You will also allow me to touch you. Now remove your clothes and if you don't I will gladly help you to remove them."

Tony pushed the bigger man away from him, "Get the hell away from me. I am not taking my clothes off for you. It's not going to happen."

The sergeant laughs as he falls to the ground. He really didn't want it to be so easy. He wants this man to fight back as hard as he can. It will make it even sweeter when he breaks him.

The marine pushes himself off the ground and immediately attacks the weaker man. Tony is waiting for him and hits him as hard as he can with one of the crutches. This action catches Dupree off guard and he falls heavy to the ground. Tony then makes the mistake of jumping on top of him as he tries to pin him to the ground. It was at that moment the marine takes control of the situation. He turns the move around and he now has the agent pinned against the ground. Dupree quickly reaches over to his bag with one hand and pulls out a needle. He quickly shoves it into the Tony's arm. He grins and waits for it to take effect. Once he is sure he is not going to have any more trouble he reaches into his backpack and begins pulling out all the items he was going to need.

Thirty minutes later, Tony awakes with cold water hitting his face. He tries to move but his arms are tied above his head. His feels strange and he is now completely naked.

Dupree smiles, "Well…it's about time you woke up sleepyhead."

Tony knows there is nothing he can do to stop what is about to happen to him. He whispers, "Go to hell."

Dupree laughs out loud as he moves closer to the restrained man and whispers, "I do plan to go there someday…and if you are lucky I will take you with me."

Tony watches, as Dupree walks around him. At first the marine is just walking and not saying anything. Finally he says, "You…my friend are about to learn a lesson in what is going to happen when you don't obey me."

Dupree finally stops when he steps behind Tony. The marine whispers into the bound man's ear, "From this time forward you will do everything I tell you to do and will allow me to do what I want. If you do not…I will make sure those two sweet old people pay for it. Do you understand?"

When Tony didn't answer, Dupree walks around to stand in front of his captive. He reaches up and grabs Tony's chin real hard. In his marine voice he yells, "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

Tony stares at his captor with pure hate. Finally his whispers, "Yes…I understand."

The marine walks back behind his hostage and whispers, "Good…we understand each other. Now…if you struggle it is going to hurt you more."

Dupree unzips his pants and pulls out his penis. He reaches into his pocket to retrieve a small packet. He opens it and places a lubricated rubber on his penis. He rubs his manhood against the bound man. Dupree smiles when his captive tries to move away. He continues to rub it until he gets hard. Dupree doesn't go in gently. Tony screams out in pain. Dupree grins as he continues to thrust harder and harder until he finally explodes.

When he is finished he removes the spent rubber and then the rest of his clothes. He leaves Tony hanging as he grabs a cloth, soap from his backpack and heads to the pond. The water in the pond is cold but he dives into anyway. When he finally comes up he turns and looks toward the shore. He can still see his victim from where he is. He knows nothing can destroy a man's self-esteem more than being raped by another man. He grins as he begins to clean himself.

After he is finished cleaning himself he heads for the shore. He dries himself off and then he lights a cigarette and takes a few puffs from it. He grins as he puts the lighted part of the cigarette on his victim's butt. Tony immediately bites his lip to keep from screaming. He didn't want to give him the bastard any satisfaction. Dupree laughs as the tosses the cigarette on the ground. He picks up a bucket and heads to the pond to get some water. He sets the bucket down next to Tony and then goes to his backpack to get a few things. The first thing he does is gently wash Tony. When he is finished he shave all the hair of Tony's body.

It was almost dark when the two men returned to the house. The old couple immediately notices something is very different with Tony. They could tell his head and face had been shaved but the light in his eyes seemed to be gone.

Sarah tried to talk with her grandson but he tells her Tony is just tired. He then takes the horses to the barn to brush them down. She turns her attention back to her grandson's friend. "Tony…let's get you into the house and into a nice warm bed."

After everyone left the room, Tony tries to get comfortable but he seems to hurt everywhere. As he lies there he wonders if Gibbs will ever find him. He doesn't know how much longer he can go on like this. He wonders if Gibbs is even looking for him. Just as he was about to try and get some sleep, Dupree walks into the room and closes the door. He undresses and slip into the bed and scoots next to him.

Tony tries to move away but Dupree grabs him and roughly pulls him back toward him. He whispers, "Remember DiNozzo what I told you. You are mine now and you will do exactly what I tell you."

As he lies there quietly he swears he can hear Gibbs' voice saying, _"Tony…we are coming for you."_

 _ **Gibbs' Basement…**_

Gibbs was sitting with a glass of bourbon in his hand. He kept staring in the direction of his worktable but not really looking at it. He was home today because Vance gave him an ultimatum that he knew he didn't have the heart to do. The director ordered him to start looking for candidates to replace both Ziva and DiNozzo. He knows he has to do something about Ziva because she had been gone for a while and didn't think she was coming back. He has no intention of replacing DiNozzo just yet. He still believes Tony is still alive.

As Gibbs takes a sip from his glass, he could have sworn he heard someone crying? It sounded like Tony. He looks around but doesn't see anything. At the moment he has this strong feeling that Tony is trying to communicate with him. He whispers, "Tony…don't give up hope. We will find you."

At that moment he hears someone walking down the stair. He looks up and it's Fornell. The FBI agent was smiling, "Jethro…I figured I would find you down here."

"Tobias…I am in no mood to talk. So, you better just turn right around and go back of those stairs."

"Listen, my friend, I came to tell you that we found Dupree's car."

"Where?"

"It's about thirty feet down at the bottom of a lake in Virginia. Some recreational divers found it. The car and plates match."

Gibbs needed to know, "Did they find a body in it?"

Fornell nods, "Yes…Jethro. I…I am sorry but they did see a body inside."

Gibbs shakes his head, "It doesn't mean it is DiNozzo."

Fornell moved a little closer, "Jethro…there was only one body. Who else could it be?"

"DiNozzo is not dead. If he was dead I would know it."

"Jethro…are you some kind of psychic or something? It has to be DiNutso. Who else could it be?"

"It's not him…"

Fornell studies his friend for a few seconds before he decides to tell him the other reason he is here. Jethro…since this is not going to be a rescue but a recovery, the local LEOs are going to have the car pulled out of the lake at first light. If you want I can come around 4:00 am to pick you up?"

"Tobias…NCIS has jurisdiction over this. Give me the location and I will have my team meet us up there. That is if you want to come with me?"

Fornell wasn't going to argue whom the case belongs too. He knew if this was one of his men he would want to be involved in the investigation. He pulls out a card with the information on it and hands it to his friend. As he heads back to the stairs he tells Gibbs he will see him in the morning. The FBI agent really didn't need to go but he wanted to be there for his friend just incase it was DiNozzo.

After Fornell left, Gibbs called Vance to let him know about the missing car and body. When he was finished, he calls Ducky so he and Palmer could meet him at the location early in the morning. After he hangs up the phone, he whispers to himself, "Please God…please let me be right because I have already lost too many people who I cared about."

The next day as the sun began to rise; Fornell, Gibbs, and the rest of the team were standing on the bank watching as a very waterlogged car is pulled out of the lake. McGee moves to open the door on the front passenger's side. He steps back as wall of water pours out. He sees a body strapped to the seat. He tells Gibbs he can't tell who it is because something had gotten a hold of the face. Gibbs orders McGee to open up the trunk to make sure there were no bodies inside. He is relieved when it is empty inside. A little later he and McGee began gathering their information. When they are finished, Ducky and Palmer take over and remove the body from the car.

Gibbs moves closer to Ducky but is afraid to ask.

The older man looks at him and knows what he wants. "Jethro…this person is not our Anthony. He is too short and has a tattoo on his right wrist."

Gibbs couldn't hide the relief from his old friend, "Thanks Ducky."

Several hours later, Gibbs was standing in autopsy looking at the body that was pulled from the lake.

"Jethro…Mister Palmer and I didn't find any wounds on his body but we did find water in his lungs."

Gibbs didn't look surprise as he whispers; "He was still alive when the car went into the lake?"

"Yes…I did send a blood sample to Abigail. She found traces of a muscle relaxer in his system. The monster who did this wanted to make sure this poor bastard knew he was drawing and couldn't do anything about it.

 _ **Ozark Mountains - Several Days Later…**_

Dupree drops the old man off at the lumberyard while he runs a few errands for himself. He tells his grandfather he would be back in about an hour. Dupree heads to the nearest phone and to call his friend Martin Smith. He wants to get an update on the search for him. Smith tells him the feds had found his car and the dead man. He warns him, they are searching the area for any missing people and vehicles. He also tells him he had made contract with a friend of his who works at NCIS. He found out a few things about his hostage and the people he works with. He told him it might come in handy to further control his hostage."

Dupree is very interested in knowing more about his hostage and gives Smith the post office address to send the information too. He also asks his friend if he could make some of their special concoction they had use at the detention center. Smith laughs and tells him to expect it in a few days. He thanks his friend and tells him he will call him back in a few days.

Dupree stops by the drug store to pick up a few things and then heads back to the lumberyard. His grandfather was ready by the time he arrives. The two men load the lumber into the back of the truck. They stopped by the grocery store and then head back home. The drive back up the old dirt road took a little longer because of the weight of lumber it was now carrying.

Once inside the house, Dupree heads to the bedroom and is both surprised and angry when he finds the room empty. He asked his grandmother where Tony is and she doesn't know. He looks outside the bedroom window and sees footprints. He knows immediately whom the footprints belong too. He climbs out the window and follows the tracks. They lead him to the old dirt road.

Dupree is angry with himself because he underestimated his hostage. He looks at the truck but he decides not to take it because he knows DiNozzo would hear him coming. He grabs his backpack from the truck and heads toward the barn. He decides to take one of the horses.

Three miles away, Tony is moving as fast as he can with crutches and a cast on his leg. He had hoped to reach the end of the road and find help. He knew that wasn't going to happen when he heard the truck coming up the old road. He hid behind some trees as the vehicle passes. Tony knows he has to hurry now. He was not sure how long the road is but he was hoping it would end real soon. As he was moving he didn't see the hole. He steps into it and falls. He tries to get up but he can't stand. He tries to crawl but it hurts too much. He decides to rest for a few minutes maybe the pain will lessen some.

After a few minutes, he attempts to get up again. This time he manages to stand up. As he begins to walk he keep hearing noises from behind him. He turns to look but he can't see anything. He manages to walk a few hundred feet before he hears, "DiNozzo…where do you think you are going?"

Tony slowly turns and faces his adversary.

Dupree dismounts and walks toward him, "You should not have tried to leave. Who should I punish you are my poor grandparents?"

Tony doesn't say anything but just stands there. As soon as Dupree is just a few feet from him, he uses his makeshift crutch and hits him as hard as he can. Dupree goes down and Tony takes off running. He doesn't pay attention to the direction he was going.

Tony is exhausted. He stops when he finds himself standing on the edge of a cliff. The scene before him would have been beautiful if he wasn't in the situation he was in. All he could see are trees and more trees. He looks down and it was at least a fifty to sixty foot drop. He knows there is no way he could climb down it. He turns to run in a different direction but he sees…Dupree standing just thirty feet from him. There is blood dripping down the side of his face. The marine smiles as he takes a step forward.

Tony looks back toward the cliff.

Dupree knows what his hostage is thinking, "Don't try it."

Tony looks at him, "You…you give me no choice. I can't…I can't let you keep doing this to me."

Dupree takes another step forwarded, "DiNozzo…I said don't do it."

Tony steps back toward the cliff but stops when he hears Dupree say, "If you jump…I will no choice but to kill James and Sarah Wilson. I will no longer have any use for them."

Tony knew that was the one thing that would stop him.

Dupree smiles because he knows now he has him "Come here."

Tony has no other choice but to do as he says.

Dupree slaps Tony as hard as he could across the face. Tony falls to the ground. Tony sits up and wipes the blood off his face.

Dupree laughs as he says, "Get your ass up."

 _I hope you enjoyed…I really would like some feedback. I don't like to get too graphic but I feel some is needed for this story and I hope I don't go overboard with this._


	6. Chapter 6

**Beautiful Child**

By Glow60

 _I want to give a special thanks to the ones who have taking the time to leave me comments. I really appreciate them._

 _Someone sent me a private message and wanted to know how many chapters is this story. My answer is I plan to have somewhere around 12 to 13 chapters._

 _This is not going to be a very good chapter for Tony. Dupree's goal is to destroy Tony and he may do it._

Warnings…

 _* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine._

 _** This story is rated M because of the language and the subject matter. You have been warned if you don't like please do not read._

 **Chapter 6**

It had been nearly two hours since Paul left to go look for Tony. Sarah refused to leave the porch. She was too upset with herself. She should have kept a better eye on their injured houseguest. If anything happens to Tony she felt it would be her fault.

James tries to calm his wife down but to no avail. He makes up his mind he is going to go look for them. The moment he steps off the porch he spots the two younger men heading toward the house. Tony is riding the horse while Paul was leading the horse on foot. When they were close enough to the house Paul helps Tony off the horse and tells him to go inside.

Sarah tries to talk to Tony but stops when she sees a new bruise on his face and saddest in his eyes. She looks at Paul and asks what happen to him.

Paul shrugs it off, "He wanted to go for a walk and he got himself lost. He will be fine. Just leave him alone."

James watches as Paul heads toward the barn. For some reason a chill runs down his spine. He doesn't believe his grandson is telling them the truth. He looks toward the woods and wonders what really happen out there?

It was almost nightfall; James and Sarah were sitting out on the porch when Dupree and Tony joined them.

Sarah smiles at Tony, "Child…are you feeling better?"

Tony just nods as he sits down.

Dupree sits down next to him and starts telling his grandparents that Tony and he will be leaving in a few weeks. He wants to go over what needs to be fixed before they leave. When they are finished, James and Sarah decide to go check on the animals.

Dupree watches his grandparents enter the barn. He turns and looks at Tony, "DiNozzo…in two days…I will be going back into town again. My grandfather will be coming with me. I am telling you this because I don't want you to go and do something stupid."

Tony looks at him without saying a word.

Dupree stands up and leans against the wooden railing, "DiNozzo…I am going to tell you a little story. While I was in Afghanistan there was this guy in my platoon. He didn't like to take orders especially when they were from me. One day we went out on patrol together. He had this very unfortunate accident and didn't return. To this day his family and friends have not idea what happen to him. I think that would be very sad if something like that were to happen to my dear old grandfather while we were heading to town? I also think my poor old grandmother would be so devastated…"

Two days later, Dupree and his grandfather leave for town. When they return the two spend the rest of the day working on the barn.

That night after everyone goes to bed Dupree heads to the truck to retrieve the package Smith had sent him. He brings it into the house and sets it down on the kitchen table. He smiles as he is opening it. The first thing he sees is a small box with the words special handwritten on it. He doesn't need to open it because he already knows what's inside. He sits it aside as he picks up a very large manila envelope. He knows inside will be information on NCIS, Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, NCIS and the people he worked with. He opens it up and pulls out the papers. He begins to read them.

Early the next morning, Dupree wakes Tony up and gives him his first injection of Smith's and his special concoction. It will take several more injections before it takes effect. When he is finished he orders Tony to get up and get dressed. He wants him to eat breakfast or this drug could make him sick.

After breakfast, Tony tries to head back to the bedroom but Sarah stops him, "Child…when I am finished cleaning up in here, I plan to go work in the garden. I was just wondering if you want to help me? If you don't feel well enough maybe you could just keep me company?"

Tony looks at Dupree and is relieve when he nods it is okay. Tony tells her he would be glad to join her.

For the next couple of days it was pretty much the same thing. Dupree give Tony his injection. The then helps his grandfather while Tony tries to help Sarah in the garden as much as possible.

On the third day, Tony felt too weird to do anything. He apologized to Sarah and told her he didn't feel good. He was going to lie down for a while. Maybe he could help her later.

It was almost an hour later when Sarah decides to check on Tony. She knocks on the bedroom door and then pokes her head inside the bedroom. She sees he is asleep so she quietly shuts the door and heads back outside.

What Sarah doesn't know is that Tony is awake. He opens his eyes as soon as she shuts the door. He stares at the window. Every now and then a small breeze blows the curtain and shade just a little. He could hear the sounds of a wind chime, some birds chirping and bees buzzing.

As he lies there he thinks he can hear voices off in the distance. Tony fights to stay awake because he thinks he hears a very familiar voice calling his name.

He whispers Gibbs's name but receives no answer. His realizes it must be the drug that is flowing in his system. He continues to stare at the window. After a while he can't keep his eyes open anymore and falls into a restless sleep.

 _In his dreams…_

 _Tony finds himself riding in a car. He looks over to the driver's seat and sees Gibbs. "Boss?"_

 _Gibbs turns and looks at him, "DiNozzo…you maybe the first cadet who gets limo service from a train station. Guess your dad has some influence?"_

 _Tony doesn't understand why Gibbs would use the same words Coach Tanner use some many years ago? He whispers, "Gibbs?"_

 _Gibbs did not look happy as he says, "The name is not Gibbs…it's Mister Gibbs to you or sir. From now on you are just Cadet DiNozzo."_

 _Tony is even more confused so he says, "I…I don't understand…you never wanted us to call you sir or mister before…"_

 _He closes his eyes because his head hurts. When he opens them again he finds himself standing in the middle of a basketball court. Gibbs walks toward him and_ _throws the basketball at him. "You are the only one who has to call me sir. Are you too stupid to understand that?"_

 _Tony barely manages to catch the ball, "But…but…Gibbs…I mean Mister Gibbs. I don't...I mean…you don't…"_

 _As Gibbs walks away, the room quickly changes. Tony finds himself standing in the middle of a boxing ring. Gibbs walks back toward him. They are both now wearing boxing gloves but his gloves seem like they have weights inside them. They are so heavy that he can't lift them. Gibbs takes a swing at him. Tony tries to stop him but he is hit over and over again. He falls to the floor. Gibbs stands over him, "DiNozzo…you are a useless bag of shit. I don't know why I ever hired you. You couldn't save McGee, you can't ever protect yourself, and now how in the hell are you going to help James and Sarah Wilson?"_

 _Tony tries to step back to avoid being hit again but he steps right onto his father's foot. His father pushes him as hard as he could, "Junior…get the hell off of my shoe. They're Gucci…do you realize how much I paid for them?"_

 _Tony falls to the floor. He tries to get up but he hears someone laughing. He looks up and sees Cadet Piggy, "Cadet DiNozzo…now you know how I feel. You are no better than the Honor Corps. You deserve everything that happens to you. I don't know why I thought you could help me? You are useless and weak."_

 _The heavyset boy turns and walks away laughing. Tony yells to him that he is sorry._

 _As he lies there he could hear more laughing. He looks around but doesn't see anyone. He tries to cover his ears because the laughter is getting louder and there is nothing he can do to stop it._

While Tony sleeps he doesn't realize he is being watched. Dupree smiles and watches for a few seconds longer before he slowly closes the door. Tonight he is going to sleep in living room and let DiNozzo face the demons of his mind. Tomorrow he was going to use those demons to his advantage.

The next day Tony is awaken when Dupree gives him another injection and make him eat a piece of toast with jam on it. Dupree tells him to lie back down and get some rest.

He wakes up an hour later because he feels he has to go pee. He tries to stand up but he feels dizzy. He sits back down for a few seconds until the dizziness passes. It takes him two more attempts before he is able to stand up. He slowly makes his way outside and to the outhouse. When he is finished he heads back inside.

Sarah is waiting for him when he returns. She could tell he wasn't feeling well. She starts fussing over him and makes him sit down. She places a plate of food in front of him and orders him to eat something. He eats a few bits and pushes the plate away. A few minutes later, he barely makes it outside before he empties what little food he has in his stomach. When he finally makes it back inside, the old woman is waiting for him with a cup of hot catnip herbal tea. She makes him sit down at the kitchen table and drink it. He takes a couple of sips and it seems to help.

When Sarah is satisfied, she leaves the room for a few seconds and returns with the washbowl, soap and a clean washcloth. She pours some warm water into the bowl. She wets the cloth and starts to wipe his face but he tries to stop her and tells her he can do it himself. The old woman smiles and hands him the cloth and leaves him to it. When he is finished she tries to get him to eat a piece of toast with a little rhubarb strawberry jam on it. This time he is able to keep the food down. Tony is feeling a little better now that he feels clean and has something in his stomach.

Sarah waits until Tony seems to be feeling a little better. She sits down in the chair next to him, "Child…you can't keep going like this. You need to go see a doctor."

Tony smiles at her because she doesn't know the truth and he can't tell her. "I will be fine."

"Fine my ass. I know my grandson and you are supposed to be friends but you two don't act like it. He is always bossing you around. My gut is telling something is wrong."

Tony almost laughs when she used the word gut because it reminded him of Gibbs. He looks around before he whispers to her, "Ma'am…Sarah it is better you don't get involved with it. I don't want to see your husband or you hurt. Please just leave it alone."

"Child…it's hard for me to stay out of it. You are very sick. You are not getting any better and you are losing so much weight. You barely eat and you walk like you are some kind old man. I can't just sit by and watch you waste away. If you tell me what is going on…maybe my James and I can help you?"

"Please ma'am…I am begging you to just stay out of it."

The old woman sees the fear in those big green eyes. For some reason she doesn't believe the fear was for him but for her. She decides not to push it any further. She doesn't want to stress him out anymore then he is now. She stands up and pats him on the shoulder. She whispers to him, "Child if and when you decide to tell me what the hell is going on I will be here waiting."

Tony just sits there and watches as she began to clean up the kitchen. He whispers to himself, "I wish I could..."

Around noon, David and Dupree calls it quits for the day. It was getting too hot to work. Dupree tells his grandparents since it was hot he wants to go swimming and he it going to take Tony with him. Sarah doesn't like the idea because she knows Tony is sick. She tells her grandson she didn't think it was wise because Tony couldn't keep his breakfast down this morning. Dupree laughs and tells her to stop babying his friend. The old woman was getting ready to argue but Tony steps in and tells her he wants to go.

Neither man spoke during the ride to the pond. Once there, Dupree orders Tony to undress and stand under the big tree. Voices inside Tony tell him to run. His body starts to shake as he hands are being tied above his head. Tony closes his eyes as Dupree walks around him.

Dupree laughs, "DiNozzo you are so pathetic. You now even have my grandmother feeling sorry for you. Poor baby…"

Tony doesn't say anything as his tormenter continues. Dupree starts telling him while he was in town he called a close friend of his. His friend knows someone who works at NCIS and his friend told him they have already found his replacement. Nobody is looking for him anymore…"

In the back of Tony's mind he can hear Gibbs laughing at him.

It was almost dark when the two men return. After they dismount, Dupree takes the horses to the barn while Tony slowly limps inside the house. Sarah has dinner waiting for them but Tony just thanks her and tells her he is just too tired to eat. He heads straight to the bedroom.

As soon as Tony enters the bedroom he closes the door. He sits down on the bed. He starts to cry but he could hear his father's voice whispering to him that DiNozzo men don't cry. He looks around but sees nothing. He slowly begins removing his clothes. He hurts all over and knows he has new bruises on his body. He grabs the nightshirt and puts it on. As he tries to lie down, it seems to take him a while but he finally finds a comfortable position where he doesn't hurt. Just as he was falling asleep Dupree opens the door and walks into the room. He tells him he hopes he has sweet dreams and he will see him in the morning.

That night Tony gets very little sleep. He keeps hearing, in his mind, Dupree telling him how useless he is and why everyone gave up on him. When he finally falls asleep he dreams about his father, Gibbs and McGee.

 _In his dream…_

 _He sees McGee sitting at his desk working on his computer. He smiles as he calls him probie._

 _McGee turns and looks at him. "Oh…I'm sorry were you talking to me?"_

 _He can sense the younger man is pissed at him when McGee says, "Well, I thought I heard you say probie. And since Agent Lee has been reassigned to the legal department, I wasn't exactly sure who you were referring to."_

 _He smiles because he always likes to tease his younger friend, "Yes, I know, I used to be team leader, Probie."_

 _McGee corrects him, "Temporary team leader and that was only because Gibbs quit."_

 _He is both surprised and hurt when realizes his friend is really angry with him. He stands up moves toward McGee's desk and asks, "You don't think I rate my own team?"_

 _McGee smiles, "You wouldn't be here now if you did, wouldn't you…DiNothing? Why didn't you save me? Why am I dead now?"_

 _McGee disintegrates right in front of him. As he steps back, Gibbs moves toward him and slaps him across the face. Gibbs tells him he should have listen to Vance. If he had McGee would have been alive today._

 _As he turns to leave he can hear more laughing. He looks around and everyone in the office is now laughing at him. He looks up at mezzanine. He can see the director just standing there staring at him. Finally Vance shakes his head in disgust._

 _He runs inside the elevator and presses the down button. The doors closes and when they open again he is now standing in his father's old study. He walks toward the desk and sees he father sitting there. "Dad?"_

 _His father turns around and smiles at him, "Junior…where's my drink?"_

" _Dad…please…I need your help."_

" _Junior…remembered the rules…we don't talk until you make me my favorite drink."_

" _Please Dad."_

" _Not until I have my drink."_

 _Tony walks toward the bar and makes him a Macallan 18, three fingers, one ice cube. He hands it to his father._

 _Senior takes a sip and smiles, "Good you remember just the way I like it. Now what is it you want to talk to me about?"_

" _Dad…please I need you."_

 _Senior looks at his watch and stands up, "Sorry Junior but our times is up I have to go. I've got this sweet business deal that will make me millions. If you behave I might bring you something back."_

" _But…Dad..."_

 _Senior grabs his coat, "Sorry…Junior but I have to go. You know that old saying time is money. I can't be late…maybe we can talk the next time."_

Tony wakes up in a cold sweat. The room is dark and he is not sure he can go back to sleep. He suddenly realizes he was not alone. Dupree turns on the light on and sits down on the edge of the bed. Tony doesn't dare move. He waits to see what his tormentor is going to do.

Dupree just looks at him and finally asks, "Tony…are you okay?"

He lies, "I…I am fine."

"You don't look fine. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No…please just leave me…me alone."

Dupree hands him a glass of liquid, "Here drink this…it will help you sleep."

Tony sits up. His hands are shaking real bad as he reaches for the glass. He doesn't questions what's in the glass because he was just too tired to argue anymore. He drinks the liquid. He lies back down and it wasn't long before he closes his eyes and falls into a deep sleep.

Dupree grins as he turns out the light and leaves Tony to his demons…

 _ **A Week Passed…**_

The old couple watches as their grandson and his friend head toward the woods. They are both worried about Tony. He eats very little and has lost so much weight. When they try to talk to him now he either jumps or acts nervous around them. He talks very little and when he does it is usually to himself. They tried to convince Paul to take Tony to the doctor's be he refused. He came close to telling them to butt out of his business.

Sarah stands there for a few more seconds until she finally turns to her husband and tells him she is going back inside.

The old man nods and continues to stare at the empty space where the two men disappeared into the woods. He didn't say anything to his wife but what bothers him the most was the fear on Tony's face when Paul mentioned that they were going for a ride today. He has seen that same fear before but it had been so many years ago. He remembered, it was when his son David first brought his new wife and his six-year-old stepson Paul for a visit.

 _Over Thirty Years Ago…_

 _For the first few days everything seemed to be going well until he noticed a change in his dog Buddy. The old dog that never left his side was now hiding out in the barn. Buddy remained there until their visitors left._

 _The next time his son and his family came to visit, Buddy was back hiding in the barn. On the first day, he had decided to take his son and his grandson to the barn and show them the newest addition to their farm. One of his cows had just had a calf. He was surprised when Buddy came out from behind one of the stalls and started growling. He signaled his dog to be quiet but the dog wouldn't listen to him. The old dog continued to growl. He was taken back by the dog's behavior. After that, he had no choice but to keep Buddy tied up in the barn until his company left._

 _By the next summer the old dog passed away. His son David and family came for another visit. The visit was a good one. He took his son and grandson camping with him. They went to places only the locals knew about. He also took them to a secret place only he and his son knew about. They stayed there for a whole week. When they come back David told his wife that it was a bonding time for the Wilson men._

 _The next time David and his family came for a visit was their last time. For the first two days, things went without a hitch. It was on the third day, something happen that made him finally realize why his old dog acted the way he did. His son David took both his mother and wife into town so they could do a little shopping. Paul didn't want to go with them. Instead he wanted to stay on the farm and explore it._

 _He didn't mind because he could use the company. At one point he had gone into the house to get something. When he came back outside he heard what sounded like puppies crying out in pain. He runs toward the barn. The first thing he sees is the mother dog tied up with a rope wrapped around her neck and_ _muzzle. She was trying her best to escape. He moves closer and that is when he saw the evil look on his grandson's face as he kept inflicted pain on three defenseless puppies. He yells at the boy. Paul looks at him and then drops the three puppies and runs. The old man frees the mother dog and takes the puppies to the house to see if he can save them._

 _When Paul's parents and his wife Sarah returned from town he got into a heated argument with them. It was the last time his son David ever brought his family for a visit. Several years later David came for a visit. He told him that he had been right about Paul. He caught the boy torturing a neighbor's cat. David told him he had tried to seek medical help for the boy but his wife refused to do it. She said it would damage his future. Shortly after the two divorced. It was the last time he saw David alive. A year later he received word David had perished in a fire. The cause of the fire was never determined…_

The old man continues to stare at the empty space. Finally he makes a decision, he is going to find out what the hell is going on.

About a mile from the pond, James Wilson dismounts and ties his horse to a tree branch. He walks the rest of the way on foot. The closer he gets to the pond he can hear Dupree talking. He hears him ordering Tony to remove his clothes. James hides behind some rocks and watches as Tony does what he is told. At first he thinks the two are just going for a swim but he is shocked when he sees the bruises and marks all over the naked man's body. He is also shocked when he sees his grandson forces Tony to his knees. James Wilson turns and leans back against the rock. He is not sure what to do at the moment. He left his rifle back at the house…

Next he hears his grandson yelling, _"DINOZZO…_ _You are nothing but a piss poor ass federal AGENT whore and a bad one at that. If you were any good at your job…MAYBE…Your partner would be alive today AND MAYBE YOU WOULD BE WORTH LOOKING FOR?"_

 _James hears the weaker man's speak, "My…my boss would never leave me be…hind."_

" _DiNozzo…you are so stupid…when are you going to get it? Your boss doesn't care for you. Nobody care for you."_

" _My boss cares about me. He…he was a marine and he would never give up looking for me."_

 _Dupree starts laughing, "According to my friend your boss Gibbs has already given up on you. He has already found someone who can take your place."_

 _Tony is so confused. He looks up at Dupree and asks, "Why…why would G…Gibbs do that?"_

" _Because you are nothing."_

The old man couldn't take listening to it anymore. He knew if he tries to stop his grandson right now he might get killed. He wasn't really worried about himself but he was worried about what that bastard might do to his Sarah. He takes one last look and hates himself for what he is about to do. He will go home and wait for his grandson to return. He will confront him there with his rifle.

Meanwhile, Dupree isn't finished, "Let's see if I remember correctly my friend said Gibbs told someone you have been nothing but trouble ever since he hired you."

"You're friend is lying…my boss would…would…never…"

Dupree bents down until he was only inches from Tony's face, "Oh is he really? Let's see my friend said you were responsible for your Director Shepard's death."

Tony looks at him in surprised because only a few knew the truth about Shepard's death.

Dupree sees the surprise look. He smiles as he asks, "Well is my friend right or not?"

Tony looks at him and then to the ground.

Dupree starts laughing, "So my friend is right. My friend also told me your boss retired but he had to come back because you couldn't handle it."

"No…that's…that's not true…I did a good job. I…I…"

"You couldn't have done a good job. Why would your boss have to come back?"

"He came…came back because Ziva. She needed his help."

"Why couldn't you help her?"

Tony looks up at him, "I…I would have b…but she never as…ask me."

"She didn't ask you because she didn't trust you enough. Nobody trusts you…too bad because if they did your boss would not have to give up his retirement. He would still be down in Mexico enjoying himself."

Tony is so confused. How could Dupree know all these things about him? He must be telling the truth?

Dupree grins. He has won…

 _We are about half way through the story. Is James Wilson going to be able to help Tony or not? I hope you enjoyed?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Beautiful Child**

By Glow60

 _I want to give a special thanks to the ones who have taking the time to leave me comments. I really do appreciate them._

Warnings…

 _* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine._

 _** This story is rated M because of the language and the subject matter. You have been warned if you don't like please do not read._

 **Chapter 7**

It was late in the evening when Dupree and Tony finally returned. The two dismount their horses. Tony stays outside while Dupree leads the horses inside the barn. After Dupree is finished putting the horses into their stalls he notices his grandfather standing in the back of the barn.

He smiles as he asks; "Grandpa is there something wrong?"

The old man steps out of the shadows with a rifle pointed at him, "Paul…I don't want you here anymore. I want you leave."

Dupree raises his hands just a little and asked him why.

"Your grandma and I have been worried about Tony. We knew something was not right. He keeps getting worst and you are not doing anything to help him. Today I decided to follow you both to the pond. I saw what you did to him. You haven't changed and I was a fool to believe you did. I want you off my land."

Dupree smiles, "All right Grandpa…we will leave just as soon as I can get the arrangements made."

"NO…I want you to leave now and Tony is not going with you. He is staying here with us. We will see that he gets the help he needs."

Dupree laughs, "There is no way in hell he is staying here. When I leave he is coming with me."

The old man cocks his gun, "Tony stays with us."

Dupree laughs as he takes a step forward, "Look old man…if I have to go he is going with me. If you try to shot me I have a very good friend who will not hesitate to come here and kill both you and grandma."

"NO!"

Both men turned to see the subject of their conversation walking toward them. Tony was looking at the old man, "James…I can't let that happen you or your wife. When Dupree leaves I'm going with him."

James tries to talk him out of it, "Son…you can't keep letting him treat you the way he does. You are going to die."

Tony just shakes his head; "It doesn't matter to…to me because I'm already dead inside."

In all his years, James had never heard someone sound so defeated. It caught him off guard and he lowers his rifle just a little. It was just enough distraction for Dupree to grab the rifle and smash it against one of the barn's support beams.

Dupree sneers at his grandfather as he says; "Listen old man…I do plan to leave this place but not for a few weeks. I will need to make the arrangements first. Until I do…I am going to warn you do not try anything stupid. I promise you I do have a very good friend who won't hesitate to come here and take care of both grandma and you. Do I make myself clear?"

The old man just nods his head.

"Good…now as long as you keep your mouth shut I promise you I won't say anything to grandma. The less she knows the better off it will be for her."

Early the next morning, Dupree heads into town so he can call his friend. He wants Smith to go ahead and start making the arrangements for him and DiNozzo to leave the country. As usually, he takes James with him and drops him off in front of the grocery store. He doesn't want his grandfather to be with him when he calls his friend.

The old man waits until Paul is out of sight. He heads into the store. He hurries to the phone and pulls out the business card. He dials the number but it goes straight into voicemail. James is one of those type people who don't like talking into machines so he hangs up. He waits a minute and tries one more time and again it goes into voicemail. He decides to do a little shopping and try again later. The next time he tries he see his grandson entering the store. James immediately hangs up the phone and moves into the next aisle.

 _ **Back in DC…**_

Gibbs had been tied up in meetings most of the morning. When he was finished he checks his cellphone and notices he has three missed calls from the same phone number. He did not recognize the area code. When he tries calling the number back he was surprise to find the call came from a small store in Jasper, Arkansas. The person who answered is the owner of the store. He tells Gibbs he thinks it might be a customer who misdialed. Gibbs put his cellphone back into his pocket and head down the stairs…

 _ **A Week Passed…**_

Dupree heads into town to stop at the pharmacy to get a few things and to call Smith to get an update on the travel arrangements. He drops his grandfather off in front of the grocery store. As soon as Dupree is out of sight, the old man heads into the store to make a phone call. He punches in the numbers. Seconds later he see Paul entering the store. He quickly hangs up not realizing the phone was not completely on its hook. He grabs a box of spaghetti off the shelf as he looks toward his grandson, "Paul why are you back here so soon?"

"There is a sign on the pharmacy door that they will be back in an hour. I figured I would just come back here and hang out with you until then."

 _ **Back In DC…**_

Gibbs and McGee were just finishing up at a crime scene. Gibbs tells McGee to call Abby and let her know Ducky will be bringing her evidence back because they are going interview the dead man's wife before they head back to NCIS.

McGee pulls out his I-phone. He tries calling Abby but he gets no results. Finally he says, "Boss…I think we are in a dead zone." He holds up the I-phone, "I'm getting no bars."

Gibbs just stares at McGee. The younger man quickly puts his I-phone away. "I…I guess I will try and call her when we get back to the car."

Almost an hour later the two were finished with the interview and head back to NCIS. As soon as Gibbs sat down at his desk he decides to check his voicemail. He is both surprised and curious when he sees he has another call from Jasper, Arkansas. This time there was a message. He listens to the message and can hear someone cursing. Seconds later he hears the name Paul. Gibbs has a gut feeling and hands McGee his phone, "McGee…I am going down to autopsy to talk to Ducky. Right now…I want you to find a connection between Paul Dupree and Jasper, Arkansas."

McGee looks surprised, "Boss…you think Dupree is in Arkansas?"

As Gibbs heads to the elevator he turns and says, "McGee…just do it."

Fifteen minutes later Gibbs walks back into the bullpen and heads straight to McGee's desk. "Did you find anything?"

"Boss…I found the connection. Paul Dupree's stepfather was originally from Arkansas. I just wish I had made the connection earlier. I just don't know why I…"

"McGee?"

"R…Right Boss…Dupree's own father died when he was just a baby. A man name David Wilson married his mother when he was just five."

"Why I am just hearing about this?"

"Sorry Boss…Paul Dupree never changed his name. Eventually David Wilson and his mother divorced."

"McGee do know if Dupree is still in contact with his stepfather?"

"Boss…according the information I found…David Wilson died in a fire a little while after the divorce. I also called the base and talked with some of the marine in Dupree's platoon. They said Dupree never mentioned anything about Jasper, Arkansas to them."

"Does David Wilson still have family in Jasper?"

"I contacted the local LEOs and they told me David Wilson's parents are still alive but they pretty much keep to themselves."

"McGee someone keeps trying to call me from Jasper and I got a feeling it has to do with Dupree."

"Boss…do you want me to have the local LEOs check on them and see if they have any visitors?"

"No…if Dupree is there he could get wind that we are looking for him. He might take off. Lets leave the local LEOs out of it until we are for sure he is there. McGee…I'm heading upstairs to talk with Director Vance. Get me the Wilson's address and any information you can about the area where they live."

Ten minutes later, Gibbs is finished talking with the director, he heads back downstairs. McGee hands him the information he asked for. Gibbs thanks him and tells him he will be gone for a while and that Vance wants him to work with the cyber unit until he gets back. McGee just stands there staring at him as he heads toward the elevator.

An hour later Gibbs is gathering up all the things he is going to need. As he is reaching for his sleeping bag, he hears someone walking down the stairs. He turns and looks up and was not surprise to see McGee.

"Boss…I figured you would still be here packing."

"McGee…what are you doing here?"

The younger man stops at the bottom step, "Boss…I want to go with you."

"No…it would be better if I go by myself. I can move a lot faster."

McGee walks toward Gibbs, "No Boss…I am not going to let you talk me out of this. I…I feel like I let Tony down that day. When…Dupree attacked me, Tony tried his best to protect me but I couldn't do the same for him. I may not be like as athletic as you or Tony but I know I can help in someway. I want that bastard to pay for what he did to Tony. If you don't let me go with you I will go by myself."

For a few seconds Gibbs just stares at the younger man. He knows McGee had always been a little insecure and self-conscious about himself but right now he had never been so proud of the young man. He smiles at McGee, "Alright McGee…you can come with me but you are going to have to let Director Vance know?"

McGee grins a little, "We already have."

"We?"

McGee looks a little uncomfortable as he says, "Abby said she was coming with us. She had to stop by her apartment to get a few things. She should be here any minute."

"Did you bring anything with you?"

McGee smiled, "Yes Boss…I brought a few changes of clothing and my computer. I wasn't sure what else to bring."

"McGee…where we are going we might have to camp out. I thought you said you were a scout."

McGee smiled sheepishly, "I was Boss but I was thinking we might just stay at a motel?"

Gibbs just grins slightly as he taps the younger man on the shoulder and points to the shelves. Gibbs grabs two more sleeping bag and a few other things and hands them to McGee. "Take these to the truck and get your things out of your car. I will be up there shortly when I am finished."

As Gibbs picks up his rifle he couldn't help notice the framed picture on the shelf. He smiles because it was a picture of his team taken at last year's Christmas party. Abby had made copies of it and placed them in frames. She gave one to each of them as a Christmas present. The framed picture was of him, Abby, Ziva, Ducky, Palmer, McGee and Tony. He couldn't help but smile at Tony. His childlike SFA had gotten a few drinks in him and decided to be brave enough to place bunny ears behind him and Ducky. He still can remembers when Ducky and he cornered the younger man in autopsy and they both double head slapped him for doing it.

Gibbs picks the picture up and looks at it one more time before he removes it from the frame and places it in his jacket pocket. He takes one last look around the basement to make sure he hasn't forgetting anything and then heads upstairs.

Gibbs shut the door to his house and heads toward his truck. For some strange reason he wasn't surprised to see Abby already sitting in the truck. She waves to him. Gibbs just smiled as he gets into the truck. The three had a thousand miles ahead of them. It was going to take them about at least sixteen hours of straight driving to get them to their destination.

 _The rescue begins but will Gibbs, McGee and Abby arrive in time?_

 _I hoped you enjoyed this chapter? I know at the beginning I said I would try and do at least one chapter per week. If you noticed I have been update sooner than I planned. It is because my last day at working was last Friday. I am now retired. So I am able to update sooner than I planned. This Sunday I will be going on vacation. I just wanted to let you know it will probably be another week before I have the next chapter up. If I can do it sooner I will but I am not making any promises._


	8. Chapter 8

**Beautiful Child**

By Glow60

 _Help is now on the way but will Gibbs, Abby and McGee arrive in time to save Tony and the Wilsons? I will warn you ahead of time, there is something very bad and disturbing that happens in this chapter. Read at your own risk. As always thanks for your reviews and comments._

 _My Usual Warnings…_

 _* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine._

 _** This story is rated M because of the language and the subject matter. You have been warned if you don't like please do not read._

 **Chapter 8**

 _ **Jasper, AR…**_

Dupree grins as he hangs up the phone. His friend Martin Smith had come through for him again. Within two weeks he will be in another country and far away from this place and he can't wait. Smith also told him while he had him on the phone he had contacted a friend who recruits ex-soldiers for mercenary group. The man told him they could always use someone with his special talents in interrogating and torturing. Dupree couldn't help but to grin even more when he hears that.

As Dupree heads to his truck and starts it up, he thinks about DiNozzo. He had originally planned to kill his hostage before he leaves the country but now he wants to keep him. He had broken the fed's spirit and now wants to rebuild the broken man into something he can control and use. If it doesn't work he knows he can always use him for ransom because earlier Smith had told that DiNozzo came from a wealthy family. Dupree continues to grin as he heads to pickup his grandfather. Life was so good to him.

Several hours later in Jasper, Sheriff Frank Hawk leans back against his chair. For a few seconds he just sits there staring at his phone. He was trying to figure out why NCIS Federal Agent Timothy McGee was interested in James and Sarah Wilson. He has known the Wilson family all his life. Their son David was his best friend when he was growing up. As the sheriff continues to sit there, he finally remembers last month's bolos on a missing federal agent and a marine who is a suspect in a murder. He starts looking through the computer and finally finds the information he is looking for. He looks closely at the picture of the NCIS federal agent but does not recognize him at all. He looks at the marine and notices this one does look a little familiar. He could have sworn he has seen this man walking around town. He decides it's time for him to go and check on the Wilsons to make sure they are okay.

 _Up On The Mountain…_

Dupree was in the kitchen when he hears the dogs barking and a car coming up the old dirt road. He quickly hides behind the curtain and watches as a county sheriff's jeep heads toward the house. He tells his grandfather to go out there and see what the sheriff wants. The old man nods and steps outside to greet the man. Dupree continues to watch and listen from the window.

James shushes his dogs as shakes the sheriff's hand. "Frank…it's been a while since you been up here. What brings you this way?"

"I haven't seen you in a while. I just decided to drop by and check on you and Sarah."

"We're fine. Sarah is taking a nap right now but I will let her know you were here when she wakes up. Did that daughter of yours have her baby yet?"

The sheriff smiles, "Yep…but she didn't have a baby, she had babies. I am now the grandpapa of two little twin baby boys."

The old man smiled back, "Congrats…I know you were looking forward to having a grandson since you already have two granddaughters. How's it feel to have two of them now?"

"I feel like I am on top of the world. As soon as they a big enough I am going to take them hunting, fishing and camping."

Hawk turns his attention toward the barn, "James I notice you have a truck. Did you finally break down and buy one or do you have company?"

James smiles, "It belongs to my wife's nephew. He came all the way from New York to help us to fix the place up because it sure needs it."

The sheriff looks around and sees the repairs, "Where's your nephew right now?"

"He's been working hard so today he is taking a break and gone fishing."

Hawk looks at the barn and house, "I can see he is doing a good job. Does he do carpentry for a living?"

The old man just nods.

The two talked for a little while longer until the sheriff's cellphone rings. When he is finished he smiles, "Well…I have got to go. One of my men was involved in an accident. James…tell Sarah I said hi. I will try and come by here in a couple of weeks. Take care."

Dupree is still watching from the window. He sees the sheriff stop and stare at the truck for a few seconds. The sheriff then looks at the house one more time before he gets into his jeep and heads back down the old dirt road.

As soon as the old man enters the house Dupree is waiting for him by the door. He tells him, "Tony and I are leaving now. Your sheriff friend saw my truck. I can't use it otherwise I will be stopped and arrested. I am going to take three of your horses." Dupree had no intention of telling the old man his plans.

The old man didn't want Tony to go with Paul because if he did it would be the end of the young man life. So he tries to talk him out of if, "Paul…I don't know what kind of mess you have gotten yourself into and I don't want to know. You can take the horses but leave Tony here with us. He will only slow you down."

Paul stares at his grandfather for a few seconds. He shakes his head, as he says, "No he is coming with me."

"Look Paul…I am just trying to help you out here. Someone in his condition will only..."

Dupree raises his voice, "Old man I told you he is coming with me."

Sarah hears the commotion and walks into the room. "What is going on?"

James looks at this wife, "Paul is leaving and he is taking Tony with him."

She looked at her grandson and she too tries to get him to leave Tony with him, "Paul you can't…he is in no…"

Tony can hear the arguing from the bedroom. He slowly gets up out of the bed and limps toward the door. When he opens the door they are still arguing. He walks toward the old woman and places his hand on Sarah's shoulder, "Please no more fighting…I am going with him."

Paul grins at his grandparents, "Good...now that we have that settled, Tony…I want you to stay here until we are ready to go. I am going to get my stuff from the truck and then get the horses ready. I will come back and get you when I am finished."

After he leaves Tony turns toward James and Sarah, "I…I know Paul plans…to…kill the both of you. You…you have to go now. I can h…hold him off until you get away but you have to go now."

At first the old couple wasn't sure what to say or do, finally James says, "Tony…we are not leaving without you?"

"I…I c…can't run with my leg the way it is. I…I will only slow you down. I don't want anyone else to d…die because of me. You have to go…now."

Sarah looks at the broken young man. Her heart aches for him. She moves toward the living room window. She peeks out and sees her grandson walking away from the truck and heading toward the barn. She turns, "James…we can't let this child stay here. We can take him to our special hiding place. Paul won't be able to find us there."

The old man nods as he quickly moves toward the couch and pushes it aside. He pulls the huge rug back and reveals a trap door. As he is opening it, Sarah grabs Tony's hand and makes him follow her. As Tony moves toward the hole in the floor he starts hearing Dupree's voice, _"DiNozzo…you will never get away from me. I am waiting for you down there._ _HAHAHAHA."_

Tony hesitates for a few seconds but Sarah reassures him it will be okay. James kisses her on the lips and then hands her a lit lantern. She goes down the steps first. She signals Tony to follow her. As he climbs down the ladder he tries to shut Dupree's voice out of his head. Once the two are down in the tunnel, James tells his wife he will see her soon. He closes the trapdoor and covers it with the rug. He puts the couch back in place. He looks for any evidence that the couch had been moved. When he doesn't see anything he moves toward the window and see Paul still moving around in the barn.

James heads to the bedroom. He looks out the window. He realizes a man of his age shouldn't be climbing out windows but he has no choice in the matter. As he steps outside the window he can hear his dogs start barking. He turns and signals them to be quiet. He then signals them to follow him into the woods.

Dupree also hears the dogs. He looks toward the road but doesn't see anything. He looks toward the house and suddenly gets this bad feeling. He drops what he is doing and runs toward the house. When he opens the door he sees the living room is empty. He checks the kitchen and both bedroom and they're empty also. He curses himself when he realizes what they did. He searches around the outside of the house and finally sees fresh paw prints. He heads back to the barn to get the horses.

As he is climbing up on one of the horse, he hears one of the cows moo. He turns and grins because he is going to make the old couple pay for what they just did. He walks back into the barn and grabs one of the kerosene lamps. He spreads the kerosene all over the barn floor. He grins as he lights a fire. He watches it for a few seconds and then walks out of the barn. He heads toward the house and does the same thing to that building. He climbs back up onto the horse and follows the paw prints into the woods…

 _ **Next Day…**_

In the early morning hours Gibbs, Abby and McGee finally arrive in Jasper. They are surprised to see a group of men gathered on the outskirts of town. Gibbs parks his truck and heads to see what it is all about. McGee and Abby are following closely behind him. The senior agent stops one of the sheriff deputies and shows him his badge. "NCIS Special Agent Gibbs…can you tell me what's going on?"

"Yesterday someone burnt down the Wilson's farm and now they are missing. We are organizing search parties to try and find the Wilsons and the bastard who did this to them."

Gibbs looks at Abby and McGee before he turns back to the man and asks, "Can you tell me where I can find Sheriff Frank Hawk?"

The deputy looks around the crowd. Finally he points, "He is the tall one over there."

"Thanks."

Gibbs heads toward Sheriff Hawk and introduces himself, McGee and Abby.

The sheriff shakes his head, "Agent Gibbs I was meaning to call your Agent McGee. Right after we talked I decided to go and check on the Wilsons myself. While I was there I noticed a truck and I asked James Wilson about it and he told me it belong it his wife's nephew. He said the nephew was there to help do some repairs on the farm. I didn't see the nephew but I had this strange feeling that I was being watched all the time I was there. After we finished talking I headed back into town."

The sheriff then acted like he was hesitating for what he was about to say. Finally he says, "Gibbs…I'm sorry but after I left the Wilson place, one of my men spotted a fire up on top of the mountain. I looked and could tell it was the Wilson's farm. I immediately headed back up the mountain with some of my men and the fire department. By the time we got there both the house and barn were destroyed. The truck was there but it was destroyed in the fire. We looked around and could not find any traces of human remains but I did found some fresh hoof and dog tracks leading away from the farm and into the woods. There wasn't much we could do because it was getting late. Right now, I am organizing a search team. We going to get the bastard that did this and maybe save the Wilsons."

"Sheriff…did James Wilson mention anyone else staying with them?"

The sheriff just shakes his head.

All hopes of Tony still being alive were now gone. Gibbs looks at both Abby and McGee. He could tell they both thought the same thing. Abby's eyes start to water as she hugs McGee. Gibbs has nothing but pure hatred in his heart now. He wants nothing more then to find the bastard that did this to Tony and take care of him. He turns his attention back to the sheriff and asks, "If it's alright I would like to go to the Wilsons farm and check it out myself and see if I can find anything that might help."

"Gibbs…it's a crime scene…my crime scene. I don't want you to trampling over my evidence."

Gibbs smiles, "Sheriff…my people and I are professional trained investigators and we do not trampling over evidence. The man who did this is a marine. He is wanted in murder investigation and also the kidnapping and possibly the murder of a federal agent. I have no plans to disturb your evidence. I want that bastard just as much as you do."

Hawk studies the man's face before he says, "I will let Deputy Brown know your coming."

 _Dupree's evil continues. Will Gibbs be able to stop him and save the Wilsons and Tony? I hope you enjoyed? Feedback is welcome._


	9. Chapter 9

**Beautiful Child**

By Glow60

 _First of all I want to wish and hope everyone has a safe and Happy 4_ _th_ _of July._

 _To the guest reviewer - :I will royal mad if have Ziva the day! She like the trash she was_

 _My answer: I am not quite sure what you meant by this. If you are asking me, if Ziva is going to show up and rescue Tony…then my answer is no. Ziva's name only came up because she was in the photo with the others. Please remember in Chapter Two I stated that_ _I can't promise it will be 100% Ziva free but it will be close to it._ _I may mention her name now and then in the past tense on a couple of things but I have no plans for her to show up._

 _My Usual Warnings…_

 _* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine._

 _** This story is rated M because of the language and the subject matter. You have been warned if you don't like please do not read._

 **Chapter 9**

As Gibbs drives up the old dirt road he can't stop thinking about DiNozzo. It's still hard for him to believe that the younger man is gone. No one has seen Tony in over a month. Gibbs figures Dupree must have killed him and dump his body somewhere DC and Jasper, Arkansas. The senior agent promised himself once he finds Dupree; he is going to make that bastard tell him where Tony's body is. He wants to bring Tony home for a proper burial.

Gibbs looks at Abby through the rearview mirror. He really had wished she stayed back in DC. He watches as she continues to wipe the tears from her eyes. There is nothing he can say or do to stop her from crying. He looks over at McGee. The younger man is looking straight ahead and lost in his own thoughts. Gibbs wanted so much to make it better for them but he didn't know what to do or say to make that happen. He turns back and focuses more on the road ahead of him.

As he reaches the top of the mountain he meets up with a Deputy Brown. Gibbs flashes his badge and the deputy signals for him to pass. Gibbs continues on the old dirt road until he finally sees the charred smoking rubble of what is left of the farm. Gibbs parks his truck next to what is left a burnt out truck, he orders McGee to stay with Abby while he checks it out. He doesn't see anything inside. He looks at the house and doesn't see much of anything. He hopes the old couple is still alive. He pulls out his cellphone and calls Vance. He gives him an update on what he has found so far. Vance orders him to stay put. He will be sending more agents and equipment to the location to help with the search. Vance wants that bastard just as much as he does.

After Gibbs hangs up, he fills McGee and Abby on what Vance had told him. He tells McGee to call Sheriff Hawk and let him know NCIS agents and equipment are on the way. While McGee was making the call, Gibbs decides to check out the rest of the farm. He heads toward what is left of the barn. He can see the remains of some poor animals who were trapped in the barn during the fire. It was at that moment, he remembers the sheriff mentioning something about hoof and dog tracks. He looks down and sees fresh hoof tracks. He begins to follow them and they lead to behind the house. He notices a few dog tracks now mixed in.

Gibbs heads back to his truck and grabs his backpack, bedroll and rifle. He tells McGee to give him about thirty minutes before he calls the sheriff back and tells him his plans.

McGee shakes his head, "No Boss…I want to go with you."

Gibbs tries to discourage the younger man from coming with him because he really doesn't want McGee there when he confronts Dupree. "McGee I can travel much faster if I am by myself."

The younger man was not going to give up so easy, "Boss…please I know I can help in someway. I want to go with you. Tony is…was my friend too. I deserve to go with you."

Gibbs stands there for a few seconds and finally he says, "Okay McGee grab your gear."

He turns to Abby; "I need you to call Hawk in about thirty minutes. Tell him where we are heading and tell him that we will bring Dupree back ourselves."

"Gibbs…what if…"

Gibbs hugs and kisses her on the forehead, "No what ifs…just tell him. We don't need all those people tracking through the damn woods."

 _ **Fifteen-Miles away…**_

Dupree was getting angrier by the minute. Yesterday he had followed the dog tracks to a rocky area and then lost them. This morning when he wakes up the horses were gone and he knows somehow the old man had something to do with it. He had underestimated the old bastard and he wasn't going to do that again. With all his training as a marine, the old man had outsmarted him. James Wilson was both an expert hunter and tracker and knew the lay of the land when he didn't…

 _ **A Few Miles Away…**_

James Wilson grins as he makes he way back to the cave. He was now glad he never told Paul that his horses were trained to follow hand signals. It was easy for him to slip in and untie the horses. He thought about taking one of the horses to go get help but he was afraid his grandson would somehow trace his footprints back to the cave and kill everyone before help arrives.

As soon as he enters the cave he can tell something is wrong. His wife is sitting next to Tony and trying to calm him.

Sarah sees her husband and immediately walks toward him. She whispers to him, "I am so glad you are back. Tony is showing signs of withdrawals. He's been sweating, shaking and vomiting. Every now and then he is hallucinating. He thinks he sees Paul or some guy named Gibbs. I can't get him to eat or drink anything because it won't stay down. James…I just don't know what to do. He really needs to be in a hospital."

James looked at the young man for a few seconds. Finally he says, "We need to move him into one of the back chambers. If he makes any sounds in here…Paul might hear him. If we move him back there he can make all the noise he wants. "

James bends down and pats Tony on the shoulder. He needs to wake him up, "Come on boy, we need to move you. You can't stay here."

Tony opens his eyes but he doesn't say or move. He just stares at him.

James tries again, "Tony…you are just too big for my wife and me to carry you. We need to move you to the back of the cave."

Tony finally nods he head that he understands. He does his best to get up without the older man's help. He stands there for a few seconds until James grabs him by the arm and leads him to the back of the cave. Sarah quickly follows with a lantern and several blankets.

Once inside the back chamber, Sarah sets the lantern on a rock and lays one of the blankets down on the floor. James helps Tony to lie down on it. He tells his wife to stay with the younger man. He also signals his dogs to stay with them. He figures if his grandson makes it past him, his dogs will defend both his wife and the younger man with their lives if they have too.

James heads back to the front of the cave. To him this place was like a second home. It was huge and they did spend time here. They always kept extra blankets, lanterns and canned food here. They had on occasion used it when the weather gets real bad on the mountain. The cave seems to maintain an average temperature of seventy degrees all year around. In the winter when the weather gets real cold outside he and his wife would sometimes bring their animals here so they can keep warm until the winter storms pass. In the summer if it gets too hot they would always come here and sleep during the night. He picks up a knife he keeps in the cave and heads outside. He will keep guard at the entrance.

A couple of hours later, James watches as Dupree comes within several hundred feet of the cave. The old man has his knife ready just in case his grandson come anywhere near the entrance. He knows he is no match for his grandson but he plan to give it one hell of a fight. There was no way he was going to let that bastard of a grandson of his hurt his wife and the man who is now in their care. As he watches he is relieved when he sees his grandson heads back into the woods.

 _ **A Few Miles Away…**_

Gibbs signals McGee to stop when he hears movement. He moves closer and sees three horses roaming freely through the woods. He can see reins on them but no saddles. He looks at their hoof tracks and can tell these are the same horses they have been following. They must have wandered away from camp. There is hope of finding Dupree now that he is on foot like they are. Gibbs decides to follow the tracks that lead in the direction the horses just came from.

Just a few miles away, Dupree is now too focus on finding his grandparents and killing them both. Those old bastards had taken his dream away from him. As he continues looking, he realizes that he has gone too far. There is no way in hell that old geezer; his wife and a drugged/injured man could have gotten this far. He believes they are hiding in one of the caves in this area. His stepfather David Wilson had once told him about a special cave that the old couple had. When he tried to find out where it was, his stepfather told him he would one day tell him but he never did.

Almost an hour later, Dupree finds himself standing in an area filled with all different sizes of rocks. He looks around but doesn't see anything. Somehow he knows they have to be here. He slowly looks around one more time until he finally spots a very large boulder hiding behind a crop of trees. It looks like it could be a few hundred feet away from the mountainside. He decides to check it out. As he walks toward it he hears, "FEDERAL AGENTS! Put your hands up or I will shot."

Dupree does as he is asked. He smiles as he turns. He sees two men and he recognizes both of them, the older agent he has seen in the news reports and the younger agent he remembers from a month ago. "Agent McGee. I see that you are alive and well?"

Gibbs doesn't take his eyes off the bastard, "Dupree if you even sneeze I promise you I will put a bullet hole through you damn head. I want you to drop both your knife and gun. Kick them toward me."

Dupree does as he says and Gibbs yells, "McGee get his weapons."

McGee quickly does as he is told and steps back.

Gibbs continues to point the gun at Dupree, "Where are the Wilsons? Did you kill them like you did to the others?"

The marine continues to smile, "I don't know what you are talking about. Has something happen to my dear grandparents?"

"Cut the bullshit, where are your grandparents?"

Dupree shrugs his shoulders, "How would I know? The last time I saw them they were alive and well."

Gibbs orders Dupree to get down on his knees and place his hands behind his head. The marine smile as he does what he is order to do. Gibbs tells McGee to keep his gun on Dupree while he handcuffs him. As Gibbs is reaching to cuff the man, Dupree punches Gibbs in stomach. Gibbs finds himself on the ground. Dupree quickly grabs a rock and is getting ready to bash Gibbs head in.

Gibbs yells, "McGee…shoot the bastard."

Just as McGee was about to pull the trigger, a knife came from nowhere and hits Dupree right in the middle of his chest. He looks surprises as he falls on top of Gibbs. Gibbs quickly pushes the bloody dead weight off of him. He then sits up and spots an old man standing on some rocks about twenty feet from him. Gibbs asked, "Are you James Wilson?"

The old man nods, "And you must be Agent Gibbs…my grandson was a evil man and I can't let him hurt anyone anymore."

Gibbs stands up and walks toward him, "Is your wife okay?"

"Yes…my Sarah is safe. Can I leave…I need to let her know everything is okay now."

"Where is she?"

The old man points toward a group of threes, "My Sarah is hiding in the cave."

Gibbs tells McGee to stay with the body and to call Abby. Tell her to call Vance and Hawk. Let them know Dupree is dead and the Wilsons are okay. He then follows the old man to the cave entrance. As soon as he enters he can hear movement and then five dogs come to greet the old man. James whistles for them to be quiet and they all stop barking.

James Wilson points to the back of the cave. "Come with me, my Sarah is back there."

Gibbs follows the old man. The first thing he sees the old woman. She smiles the moment she see her husband. The old man hugs her and tells her everything is going to be all right. Paul is dead and they don't need to worry about him anymore.

Gibbs watches the old couple for few seconds and then he eyes roam the room. It is dimly lit and he can make out what looks like a body lying a few feet away. He moves closer so he can get a better look. When he is just a few feet away he whispers, "Tony?"

Tony looks up and glances at him for a second and then closes his eyes back.

The old woman steps next to Gibbs, "Tony is going through withdrawals right now. I don't think he knows your even here."

Gibbs bends down and whispers, "Tony…it's Gibbs."

Tony opens his eyes again. Gibbs could tell there was nothing but confusion in them. When he tries to touch Tony, the younger man moves toward the old woman like a small child would do if they were scared and seeking protection. She sits down so she can hug the frightened young man and calm him down.

Gibbs steps back so to not scare Tony anymore than he already is. Words could not express how he felt at the moment. He was so overjoyed and wants nothing more then to hug his young friend. He knew right now that was going to happen because he didn't want to traumatize Tony anymore than he was. He can only imagine the hell the younger man has gone through while in the hands of Dupree.

James Wilson moves closer to Gibbs. "Agent Gibbs…we are so sorry we didn't help Tony sooner. When Paul first came to our farm he lied to us. He said Tony was a friend of his and that he was in some kind of hiking accident and was on some kind of medication for his injuries. We believed him because Tony didn't tell us different."

Gibbs smiled, "It's not your fault. You two did the best you can to keep him alive. I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you did for him. He will survive this."

James has his doubts as he looks at his wife, "Sarah…show him."

The old woman moves her hand and lifts the bottom of Tony's shirt up so she could show the damage that was done. At the moment Gibbs was so angry that if he could he would bring Dupree back to the living just to make that bastard suffer and die again.

"Gibbs…we were blind to what Paul was going to him. We didn't start becoming suspicious until our grandson started taking Tony down to the pond. Every time Tony came back he would be in worst condition then before. We tried to get him to take Tony to the hospital but he never would do it. We tried to get Tony to talk but he wouldn't. So, one day I decided to follow them to the pond. When I saw what that bastard of a grandson was doing to Tony I ordered him to leave my farm but he wouldn't do it without Tony. He told me if we tried to stop him in any way he had a friend who would come after us. Gibbs…I didn't care about my life but I didn't want him to hurt my Sarah. I hope you can understand?"

"There is nothing for me to understand, you had to do what you did to protect your wife. I can tell you this; I have known Tony for a while now. He would not want you or your wife to get hurt or killed because of him. The important thing right now is Tony is alive and I am going to make sure he gets the help he needs."

Almost an hour later the rescue groups started arriving. The first group focuses their attention only on DiNozzo but when they try to examine him he fought them. Sarah grabs his hand to quiet him down. When they are finally finished they place him on a backboard and then on an all terrain vehicle that will take him to a helicopter and then to the nearest hospital. Sarah decides to go with him to make sure he stays calm.

The second group took pictures of Dupree's body before they remove it from the area. They are going to take the body to Boone County Airport where it will be flown back to DC. It was agreed that Ducky was going to do the autopsy.

While all this was going, James and Gibbs were filling Hawk in on what happen. When they were finished, the sheriff looked at his old friend, "James…I am truly sorry about what happen to your farm. You know…you and Sarah are always welcome to stay with me until your place is rebuilt."

Gibbs speaks up, "Sheriff…it's too dangerous for them to stay here. It seems Dupree has a friend who might be coming after them for revenge. I am taking them back to DC with me for their own protection. Plus we still have a lot of questions about Paul Dupree that need to be asked in my agent's recovery."

Hawk looks at James and smiles, "Don't worry…while you are gone I will take care of your dogs for you."

When Hawk mentioned his dogs, the old man remembered something else, "Frank…while we were waiting for help to come, Agent Gibbs told me he saw my horses roaming in the woods. Can you find them for me? I know they will want to go back to the farm but there is nothing there for them. Can you take them back to your farm and keep them there until I have a place for them to live?"

Hawk tells his old friend to not to worry he will take care of them as if they were his own.

It was late in the day when Vance made arrangements for them to fly back to DC. McGee and Abby volunteered to stay behind to help with the paperwork and any questioned that needs to be answered. When they are finished the two would drive Gibbs' truck back to DC.

On the flight back home, Tony slept most of the way. Sarah stayed by his side and would not leave him. Ever now and then he would start talking in his sleep. She would tap him on the shoulder and he would open his eyes. She smiled and tells him everything is going to be all right.

James and Gibbs sit across the aisle from them. The two men talked quietly so not to disturb Tony. The old man tells Gibbs about his grandson and Tony's time with them. He tells Gibbs again they didn't suspect anything. They really believed their grandson's friend was hurt in a hiking accident.

Gibbs asked the old man if he was ever close to his grandson?

The old man shakes his head no; "Gibbs…my Sarah and I only knew Paul for a couple of summers. Once I caught him hurting some of our puppies, that was it with me. I got into a very heated argument with my son and his wife. I never saw Paul again until a month ago when Paul came to the farm. He told me his friend had been in a hiking accident. He needed a place for his friend to recuperate. At first I was apprehensive about him but I decided to let him say. While Paul was there he did take me help around the farm. He took me into town to buy supplies and he did work on the buildings. He was really doing a good job. I…I guess it doesn't really matter too much anymore because he burnt both my house and barn to the ground."

Sarah had been listening to the two men talking. Finally she says, "Jethro…you must think we are two old fool for being taken in by our grandson. We really didn't know what he was doing."

"Ma'am…I don't think anything like that. I am just so very grateful for what you two did to help Tony. If you hadn't he would be dead today. I am forever in both your debts."

The old woman smiles, "Thank you…Jethro. When Tony first came to the farm, he would smile and talk with us but soon as our grandson would walk into the room Tony would become very quiet. I should have suspected something about Paul but my James always said I was too kindhearted. He says, I am always thinking the best about of people. As time passed, Tony became more quiet and withdrawn. Jethro…what was this beautiful child like before Paul got a hold of him?"

Gibbs laughs just a little, "Let's see…Tony and I have been working together for a long time. Tony is one of the most talkative and energetic person I have ever known. There has not been a day that went by that he didn't make me laugh about something. He likes to clown around but he is very smart and a quick thinker. He is my best agent and over the years he has become family to me."

It was passed midnight when the plane set down on the tarmac. Vance had an ambulance waiting to take Tony to the hospital. Gibbs was going to go with Tony and the Wilsons were going to be taken to a safe house. At first Sarah insisted that she should go to the hospital because she was worried that Tony might be upset if she wasn't there. Gibbs convinced her to go with her husband. They were going to be running test and examine Tony and she will not be allow to be with him. He told her it was best for them to go to the safe house and get some rest. Tomorrow the agents can bring them to the hospital and she can see Tony then.

Gibbs stayed in the waiting room while they examined Tony. When he was finally allowed into the room he became very angry when he saw the straps. They were supposed to call him if there was a problem. He asked the nurse to take them off but she told him she was going have to call the doctor first to make sure it was okay. A little later a Doctor Martin Smith walks into the room.

 _Sorry for the cliffhanger…_

I hope you all have a safe and Happy 4th of July.


	10. Chapter 10

**Beautiful Child**

By Glow60

 _I have at least three more chapters to go after this. As you can tell Tony's nightmare is not quite over. He still has a little ways to go before that happens. Thanks again to everyone who has taking the time to review. I really appreciate them._

 _My Usual Warnings…_

 _* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine._

 _** This story is rated M because of the language and the subject matter. You have been warned if you don't like please do not read._

 **Chapter 10**

Several days had passed; Tony wakes up in a dimly lit room. He tries to move but he is strapped to the bed. He starts to panic a little but stops when he notices someone sitting in a chair. He stares at the dark figure for a few seconds before whomever it is stands up and walks toward him. He turns his head away afraid of whom it might be and jumps a little when he feels something touch his shoulder. He then hears a voice he has not heard in a long time. It sounds so much like Abby calling his name. He is afraid to look because he believes his mind must be playing tricks on him. He hears the voice again.

"Tony…can I get you something? Would you like some water or maybe something to eat? I can get a nurse?"

When Tony doesn't say anything, Abby continues to talk, "Tony…I…I'm not suppose to be here but I couldn't wait any longer. I missed you so much. There was not a day that went by I didn't pray for your return. I…I will be honest with you. There were times I…I gave up hope we would ever find you but Gibbs was there to help me through those days."

In his confused state, he could hear Dupree's voice, _"Your friend here is just feeding you a bunch of bullshit. She never really cared about you. To her you are just a joke. The rest of your friends think the same way."_

Tony starts fighting the straps and yelling for his tormentor to shut up and leave him alone.

Abby thinks Tony is talking to her so she steps back, "Tony…I am sorry. I didn't mean…"

Tony eyes suddenly roll into the back of his head and the alarms start to go off.

Abby freezes and was not sure what to do. Seconds later, Smith and two nurses rush into the room. Smith yells for one of the nurses to escort Miss Sciuto out of the room. As Abby is leaving she could hear someone say the patient has stopped breathing.

Gibbs had just stepped off the elevator when he hears a code blue for Tony's room. He moves quickly down the hallway and sees Abby. He hurries to her side.

Abby sees him and rushes into his arms. "Oh Gibbs…I think I…I just killed Tony."

"Abby…what are you talking about? What happen?"

Tears were running down Abby's cheeks as she looks toward Tony's room, "I think...I think I just killed Tony. I know you told me to wait but I…I couldn't help myself. I…I just wanted to see him. I wanted to…to make sure he was really here and that he is okay. When…when I went into his room he was asleep so I just sat down in a chair. Gibbs…all I wanted to do was see him. I…I…didn't mean to…upset him. When he woke up he wouldn't even look at me. I tried to talk with him but he wouldn't say anything until he told me to shut up and leave him alone. I really…really didn't mean to upset him. He…he then had some kind of seizure. His heart stopped. They are trying to get it restarted now. If Tony dies it will be my fault. Gibbs…I should have listened to you. I should have not gone in there. I should not have said anything. I am so sorry."

Gibbs hugged her as tight as he could before he says, "Abby…it's not your fault. It was that bastard Dupree who did this to him."

At that moment, Smith walks out into the hallway. He hears what Gibbs says about his protégé. He is pissed, "Gibbs you are wrong…Miss Sciuto is responsible. She should not have been in that room. There is a reason I limited the number of visitors my patient can have."

Gibbs stepped between Abby and the doctor. He did not like what the doctor had said and defends her actions, "Abby and Tony are good friends. She only wanted to see him."

Smith was not going to back down, "I don't care, Miss Sciuto almost cost him his life. For the next couple of days…I am not allowing anymore visitor until his condition improves."

 _ **Lost And So Alone…**_

 _Tony walks into Abby's lab. He could hear them all laughing and talking. He grins as he wonders what they could be talking about and decides to join them. They all turn and look at him. At first they all seemed to be happy to see him. Seconds later everything changes and all the smiles vanish._

 _McGee is the first one to speak, "Tony…you are not Gibbs."_

 _He doesn't understand why McGee would say that, "What?"_

 _Abby walks up to him and slaps him across the face, "How dare you think you can be our Gibbs. You could never…never be my Silver Fox. Why would you even think such a stupid thing? Gibbs is Gibbs and you are nothing but Tony…our class clown." She then walks over to a grinning Gibbs and hugs him. They both then turn toward him and start laughing at him. He steps back when the others join in._

 _He turns and runs out of the room and right into his father. He tries to apologize but his father pushes him back and away from him. "Junior…be careful…watch where you are stepping. You almost scuffed up my brand new Berluti Rapiécés Reprisés shoes. They cost me almost two thousands dollars. Don't they look great?"_

 _He looks down at the shoes and then back at his father, "Dad…I'm just so glad to see you."_

" _You should always be glad to see me after all I am your father." Senior stands there and stares at him for a few seconds, "Junior…have you been crying? I thought I taught you better than that. DiNozzo men do not cry? I think you must get that from your mother's side or maybe you are not my son. That could definitely explain a lot. It would make it much easy for me to explain to my friends why you act the way you do."_

" _Dad…how can you say such a t…thing? I…am…I don't..."_

" _Junior are you going to say what's on your mind or not? I do have places to go, people to see and lots of money to make."_

 _Tony suddenly sees a very grinning Dupree standing by the door. He looks back at his father. He wasn't really sure what to say. He didn't understand what was going on. All he could say at the moment was, "Dad please don't go…I need you. I've have…nobody if you leave."_

 _Senior smiles, "It's your own fault Junior. Now that I think about…it doesn't surprise me one bit. You should have listen to me. People are not your friend unless you have money and charisma like I have. I tried my best to teach you but you never wanted to do anything I asked you. You never really appreciated all_ _the things I tried to do for you. Always whining about me not spending time with you when I had to go out and work to bring money into the house. Junior I could never leave you with anyone because nobody ever wanted you around. You were always a little pain in the ass and too hyper for their liking. Now after all these years, you finally understand what I had to put up with when you were a boy? I have to admit sometimes when I left you alone, I was hoping someone would take you but I was never that lucky."_

 _He was shocked at what his father just said and backs away. He looks back toward Dupree and this time he is laughing out loud. Tony leaves the room. In the hallway he sees Vance shaking McGee's hand and telling him that he exemplified what a model NCIS agent should be and that DiNozzo could learn from a lot from him._

 _It hurts him when he sees Gibbs standing next to McGee and patting the younger man on the shoulder. The senior agent finally turns and looks at him, "DiNozzo…I don't understand why I ever make you my senior agent. You nothing and will always be a nothing. I am going to make McGee the senior agent."_

 _He is too stunned to say anything._

 _Seconds later, Gibbs, McGee and Vance started circling around him as they chanted; "You will never be good enough…you are just a nothing but a thorn in our sides why don't you just off yourself…"_

 _He covers his ears and cries, "P…please make it stop...PLEASE."_

 _Seconds later…everything goes dark._

For the next few days, Tony remained in a coma like state. Smith continue to insist only a few could visit. Finally Ducky steps in and put an end to it. The older man insisted the more visitors could and would help to stimulate Tony's mind and bring him out of the coma. Smith knew Mallard was correct and he also knew if he didn't allow it they could and would ask for another doctor to over see DiNozzo's care. He did not want that to happen.

It was almost a week later when Tony finally wakes up. He can hear voices. He tries to move a little and realizes this time his hands and feet were not bound anymore. He tries to open his eyes but they feel like they have weights on them. Finally he hears, "Anthony, my dear boy it is about time you wake up. Come on, I know you can open those big green eyes of yours."

He slowly opens his eyes but the light is too bright. He closes them again.

He can hear Sarah Wilson, "Abby…would you please dim the light a little. I think it is bothering his eyes."

Once the light was dimmed enough, he opens his eyes just a little. He can see Sarah, Ducky and Abby looking at him. He doesn't say anything because he is afraid they will say something bad to him.

Sarah takes his hand into hers, "Child I am so glad to see those big beautiful green eyes of yours again. We were all so worried."

Ducky joins in, "I knew you could do it my dear boy. It is so nice to know all those nasty drugs are finally out of your system."

He looks at Abby but she doesn't say anything. Seconds later, he sees Dupree slowly moving around the room. He finally stops just a few feet behind Ducky. Ducky notices Tony looking directly behind him. He turns and looks but doesn't see anything. He looks back at the man lying in the bed, "My dear boy what has gotten his attention?"

"Duck…let me talk to him."

Tony turns toward the new voice and sees Gibbs and James Wilson walking toward him. He immediately turns on his other side. He is afraid of what Gibbs is going to say to him.

Gibbs sees the fear, "DiNozzo look at me."

Tony continues to look away.

Gibbs finally moves to the other side of the bed. He places his hand on the bedrail. He doesn't dare go any further after what happen to Abby last week.

Tony didn't move and he would not make eye contact with the older man.

Gibbs continues to talk, "Tony…you are safe. You don't need to be afraid anymore. Nobody is going to hurt you. We just want to help you. Please trust us…trust me when I say you are safe with the people who love you."

The ghostly image of Dupree moves right behind Gibbs. _"Don't listen to him. You know they are only lying to you. You're nothing to them Gibbs had already giving hired someone to replace you."_

In Tony's confused state he doesn't realize that Dupree is dead. His believes what he is seeing is real and that Dupree is telling him the truth. He doesn't understand why Gibbs doesn't stop his tormentor? He looks at Gibbs for help but is too afraid to ask for that help. He doesn't think he could handle if it Gibbs turns him down. He turns and hides his face in the pillow as he hears Dupree laughing again.

As he hides his face he wishes everyone would just go away. He was relieved when he hears a nurse tell everyone that visiting hours are over and they have to leave. He could hear them all say their goodbyes. Gibbs stayed behind for a few seconds longer and said, "DiNozzo…I will see you in the morning."

It was almost an hour after everyone left when Smith enters the room. He looks over his shoulder to make sure nobody followed him into the room. He checks his patient's vitals. He then pulls out a small box and places it on the table. He opens the box and inside it is a small needle and a very small speaker. He smiles because he still can't believe his luck, of all the hospitals in the DC area, they could have brought DiNozzo to they picked this one. The day, they brought him in, he knew immediately who he was and he also knew his friend Dupree was dead. He was both angry and sad. He wanted nothing but revenge for his friend and he was going to get it. So each night after everyone left, he would enter DiNozzo's room. With the needle he injects its substance into the saline drip. When he is finished he places the very small speaker inside the pillowcase. So during the nights he can send subliminal message to his unsuspecting patient.

Early in the morning hours he would slip into DiNozzo's room and retrieve the speaker before anyone would find it…

 _In Tony's Dreams…_

 _He now finds himself standing just outside a big bay window. Inside he could see Gibbs, Ducky, Abby, McGee, Palmer, and the Wilsons sitting around a huge table. He could hear them talking and laughing. He wonders why he isn't in there with them._

 _Seconds later, Dupree steps behind him and whispers, "If these are your so called friends why are you not inside with them?"_

" _I…I wasn't invited."_

 _Dupree laughs, "That doesn't sound like friends to me."_

 _Tony looks at Dupree, "But…they…they are my friends."_

" _DiNozzo I hate to use this old saying but if these are your so called friends, I would really hate to see what your enemies are like?"_

 _Tony doesn't say another word as he turns back to the window and watches. His friends all seem to be happy as Ziva's brings in a big bowl filled with her home cooked Jewish stew. She tells everyone she hopes they enjoy it._

 _As Abby was reaching for a piece of bread, "Sarah…wait until you try Ziva's Cholent…her cooking really rocks."_

 _Ducky looks around and asked, "By the way, where is Anthony? Is he coming later?"_

 _Gibbs laughs, "Ducky…you don't need to worry about him. Ziva planned this dinner when she knew DiNozzo had other plans. She wanted to make sure we had a nice quiet dinner where we can enjoy each others company."_

 _Ducky grins, "Jethro…I have always thought you were a good judge of character but I never understood why on Earth would you hire someone like him. He is such a overgrown child."_

 _Everyone around the table starts laughing including the Wilsons._

 _Gibbs waits until they stop laughing before he says; "At the time I thought he would be a good fit but boy was I wrong. If I had only known back then what I know now about him, I would have left him in Baltimore and let them continue to put up with him."_

 _Tony's eyes began to water; he really thought they cared about him as much as he cares about them. He thought he had finally found a place where he belongs and can call home. He now realizes he couldn't be more wrong. He now knows that he can't stay where he is not wanted. He had stayed here too long and it was time for him to move on._

It was around one is the morning when he wakes up. A nurse comes in to check on him. After she leaves the ghostly image of Dupree shows up and sits on the side of the bed. He smiles as he says, _"DiNozzo…nobody wants you because you are so useless. Why don't you do everyone a favor and kill yourself?"_

"No."

" _You're useless and a waste of everyone's time. Kill yourself…"_

Tony covers his ears and hopes his demon will go away.

A few seconds later, he sits up and checks the room to make sure nobody is in it. He gets up and looks in the hallway. He sees no one but he can hear noises coming from several doors down. He heads in the opposite direction. As he is moving through the hallway he starts looking into each rooms hoping to find some clothing he could wear. Finally on the fifth try he finds a room with lockers. His experience in picking locks comes in handy. It doesn't take him long to find what he is looking for. He hurries to get dressed. Minutes later he is limping out of the hospital and nobody notices.

 _Even after he is rescued Tony's nightmares are still not over. Will Gibbs and the others find him in time? I hope you enjoyed?_


	11. Chapter 11

**Beautiful Child**

By Glow60

 _Sorry for the delay but I was kind of stuck on a few things in this chapter. Hope you enjoy? There are two more chapters to after this. Thanks again for the ones who took time the review and comment. Also thanks to the ones who have been following this story._

My Usual Warnings…

 _* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine._

 _** This story is rated M because of the language and the subject matter. You have been warned if you don't like please do not read._

 **Chapter 11**

It was a little after two in the morning when Gibbs entered the bullpen. McGee was waiting for him and the younger man looked nervous.

"Okay McGee…what have you got?"

"Boss…yesterday as I was getting ready to leave Sheriff Hawk called me. He said one of his men found a backpack that belongs to Dupree. Hawk believes Dupree must of hiding it while he was searching for the Wilsons and Tony. Hawk also told me he was sending the backpack overnight."

"Why didn't you call me sooner."

"Boss…you already had a lot on your mind. I didn't want to call you if it turned out to be nothing. Hawk gave me the tracking number. I called and found it was going to arrive in DC around midnight. I went and pick the package up myself. When I got back here I went through it. Boss…you are not going to like this but Dupree was friends with Doctor Martin Smith."

"How were they friends?"

"I checked Smith's background and found out that he worked at Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp around the same time Dupree was there. I called the camp and was told both Dupree and Smith shared a special interest in human torturing and interrogations. Smith eventually retired and left the service. Dupree stayed at the camp for another couple of years before he was transferred to Quantico."

Gibbs immediately fears for Tony and the Wilsons lives, "McGee do you know where Smith is right now?"

"Yes Boss…I just got off the phone with the hospital. They said today is his day off and he should be home right now."

"McGee good job. I want you to call the agents who are watching the Wilsons and Tony. Give them a heads up about Smith. I don't want that bastard near the Wilsons or Tony until we find out if he is up to something."

Right after he said that, Gibbs cellphone rings. The caller was Agent Brown. Brown was the agent who was suppose to keeping guard on Tony.

McGee almost jumped when Gibbs yelled into the phone, "HOW IN THE HELL COULD A MAN IN DINOZZO'S CONDITION WALK PAST YOU?"

"Gibbs…there was a commotion down the hallway and I went to check it out. One of the patients was having a seizure. Once I notified the nurse, I headed straight back to DiNozzo's room. I was only gone for a couple of minutes. I sorry Gibbs but I didn't bother to check to make sure DiNozzo was still in his room."

Gibbs was trying to keep his voice under control, "Agent Brown…can you tell me how long it took you to finally realize the man you were suppose to be protecting was missing?"

"I am really sorry Gibbs, but it was almost an hour later when one of the nurses went to check his vitals. I immediately called security. We search all the floors. Security did check the cameras. One of them shows DiNozzo dressed in hospital scrubs walking out of the building on his on accord."

"Could you tell which direction he was heading?"

"He just headed toward the street. After that we lost sight of him.

Gibbs hangs up.

"Boss…what happen to Tony?"

"DiNozzo decided to leave the hospital."

"How? Why?"

"McGee call Balboa and tell him get a warrant so he and his team can search Smith's place. When you are finished grab your bag we are going to pick Smith up and bring him in for questioning. My gut is telling me that bastard had something to do with Tony leaving the hospital."

One hour later, Smith was sitting in one of the interrogation rooms. Smith wasn't smiling as Gibbs walks into the room, "Gibbs…I do not understand why I am here? I already told you I had nothing to do with your agent walking out of the hospital."

"Cut the bullshit…where is DiNozzo?"

Smith shrugs his shoulders.

"When we first brought DiNozzo to the hospital you were very much aware what happen to him. We mentioned Sergeant Paul Dupree's name several times. Why did you not tell us you were friends with him?"

"Yes should I. I had nothing to do with what he did?"

"It is a crime when you aid and abet someone who has committed a crime."

Smith smiles, "Paul may was a dear friend of mine but I had nothing to do with him taking your agent. And I do not have anything to do with your agent walking out of the hospital."

Gibbs lies to him; "We found phone records showing that you and Dupree kept in contact while Dupree was in Jasper, Arkansas. Now tell me where DiNozzo is?"

Smith continues to smile, "Agent Gibbs…I know my rights. I am not talking anymore until I speak with my lawyer."

Gibbs was getting ready to wipe the smile on Smith's face when he hears a knock on the door. He opens it up and it is McGee. The two stepped outside.

"Boss…I am sorry but Tony's landlord just called me. He said someone in the building told him they saw Tony early this morning. So he decided to go check for himself. He knocked on the door and when he didn't get an answer he let himself in. He said it did look like someone had been there recently."

Gibbs turns to the agent who was guarding the door. "See that Smith gets a chance to call his lawyer and then take him back to the holding cell."

Forty minutes later, Gibbs uses Tony's spare key to let them inside. As soon as they walked into the apartment they saw the hospital scrubs lying on the floor.

McGee stood there just staring at the scrubs for a few seconds. Finally he says in anger, "Why would Tony do such a stupid thing?"

"McGee…please."

"Sorry Boss…I just don't understand him why he would do such a stupid thing. Why would Tony leave the hospital? In his condition he needs to be in a place where he is loved and care for."

Gibbs turns and looks at the younger man. Something he had just said brought back an old memory, "McGee what did you just say?"

"Tony needs to be with people who love and care for him."

"No you said Tony needs to be in a place were he is loved and cared for. McGee I think I know where he is or heading too. Check his computer. See if he purchased an airplane ticket today."

It took McGee a minute but he found it. "Boss…Tony booked a flight early this morning for New York. The flight left two hours ago. Do you think he is going to see his father?"

Gibbs looked at his watch, "No…he is going somewhere else. Tony…has about a two-hour head start on me. Book me on the next flight to New York."

"Boss…do you want me to go with you?"

"No…I need to do this alone."

Several hours later, Gibbs was standing on the boardwalk at Coney Island. The beach wasn't crowded today because it had been raining off and on. He looks around and finally spots the one person he was looking for. He heads toward him.

Down on the beach Tony was sitting with his bare feet buried in the sand. He watches as the waves come in and go out. Sometimes the waves would almost touch his feet. He seemed to be oblivious to the rain but not his tormentor.

Even tough he couldn't see Dupree he could hear him, _"DiNozzo…just think all you have to do is walk out into the waves and you can join your mother. She is waiting for you. Remember she is the only one who ever cared about you. If you do it right now, I don't think anyone will notice or care."_

Tony tries to block Dupree out from his mind by keeping his attention on the water. He had come here because he wanted peace and this place always gave it to him. It was the last time his dad, mom and he were a real family. It was the last time he truly was happy.

He could still remember back when he was just eight years old. His parents had brought him to this place. His mom had been sick but he didn't know how bad she was. He originally thought they came because his mom was feeling better. The whole week had been great. His dad was acting like a dad, his mom seemed to be feeling better and he was just happy. He smiles as he remembers the very last day. His parents took him to see the "King Kong" movie staring Jeff Bridges. After the movie they took him to eat at the "Windows on the World" in the World Trade Center. Dad had connections and made sure they got a table next to the window. He had never seen his mother and father so happy. It was such a good day.

Tony continues to ignore Dupree. He keeps his eyes on the waves and doesn't notice that someone else had just sat down next to him.

Gibbs smiles and finally says, "I had a feeling I would find you here."

Tony had his favorite sunglasses on. He was trying to keep his composure when he hears the voice.

Dupree's ghost moves closer to Tony.

Gibbs asks, "Tony…do you remember that first time you stayed at my house?"

Gibbs wasn't really sure if Tony was going to answer him or not. He decides to wait and see what happens.

Finally Tony speaks, "How…how can I ever forget? The pow…power went out in my…my a…apartment. You told me I…I could stay at your house. It was something you…you later told me you re…regretted."

The ghost image laughs and whispers, _"Yes…regrets…I bet he regrets a lot of things about you? I bet you he regrets you were ever born?"_

While Tony was trying to not listen to his demon, Gibbs was trying to be careful in his choice of his words. He did remember what he had said back then but he only meant is as a joke. The joke backfired on him when he saw the hurt look on the younger man's face. He continues, "Tony…I am sorry I said that and I want you to know I really didn't mean it."

Dupree whispers into Tony's ear, _"You know he is lying."_

Gibbs continues, "Do you remember later that night you got drunk and puked all over my brand new shoes."

Dupree laughs again, _"What's the matter DiNozzo you can't hold your liquor?"_

When Tony doesn't say anything Gibbs continues, "Anyway that night you were so out of it. I had to help you into bed and out of your clothes. At the time you became very apologetic and very talkative. You told me how much you liked working for me. You kept telling me you liked Abby, Ducky and me. You said you finally felt like you belong somewhere. You told me all about your dad. You told me about your mom and this special place. You said it was the only time and place you ever felt like you belong somewhere until you started working for me. You did tell me you come back here sometimes because you can feel your mother's presents."

Tony stares at Gibbs for a few minutes and then turns his attention back to the water.

Gibbs looks at the ocean and watches as several seagulls fly by. He had to ask but he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer, "Tony…why did you leave the hospital? Why did you really come here?"

Tony was distracted by something big that had just jumped out of the water. Finally he says, "Boss…I keep hearing these things in my head. Telling me I had to leave…so I left."

"Why didn't you tell me? We could have talked about it."

Tony started laughing, "Yah…sure and you would have thought I was crazy. Gibbs…I once thought we could talk about anything but I…I don't feel that way anymore. I once felt we were more than coworkers but I was wrong. I know now that you are…just my boss and the others are just my coworkers."

"DiNozzo…you know that is not true. You are more than that."

The ghost whispers, _"He's lying. You are really nothing to him but a bag of worthless shit."_

Tony continues to ignore his tormentor as his eyes start to water. He tells Gibbs, "I thought so too but Dupree helped me see the truth."

"Tony…Dupree put those thoughts into your head...we…"

Tony stops him, "No Boss…you can't blame Dupree for everything. Yes he did do bad things to me and kept me drugged but he helped me to remember things. I re…remember how you and the other treated me. I remember…"

Gibbs cut him off, "Tony…listen some of those memories are because of the hallucinating drugs that were in your system. It's understandable that you are confused."

Dupree's ghost image whispers, _"Ask him about the dinner party that you were not invited too. Go ahead and asked him. See what he has to say about that."_

As a couple of tears flowed freely down Tony's cheeks, he didn't bother to wipe them, "I am…NO…NO…I…I remember things. I do remember things like Ziva throwing a dinner…and everyone was invited but…"

Gibbs finished it for him, "But you…and I'm sorry that happened. Tony…I know this sounds lame but at the time we all had thought she had invited you and that was why we were teasing you about it. We thought you wanted to be more at the wrestle match than with us. After I realized she didn't invite you I asked her about it. She told me she was going to invite you but she was afraid you would turn her down. Ziva being Ziva could does not like rejection so she decided at the last minute not to invite you."

Tony looks back toward the ocean. "Boss…I use to like it when it was just you and me. When Kate, McGee and Ziva came alone it seemed…I felt…like I had to fight to get your attention. I…know it sounds very childish of me but I felt like I didn't…matter anymore."

"Tony…you…" 

Tony cut him off, "No Gibbs…please let me finish…when I was just a little boy I told you my dad was never around for me."

Dupree smiles, _"Tell him DiNozzo…tell him he is just like your father."_

Tony turns and looks at Dupree. He grabs his head and starts yelling, "Will you shut the fuck up and leave me alone."

The ghost laughs as he vanishes. Tony is now just staring at the empty space. He lowers his hands. He looks over at Gibbs and can only imagine what the older man thinks of him.

"Tony…if you don't want to talk…to me…I understand…but you still need help. I just can't just leave you here like this. Just come back with me."

Tony stares at him for a few seconds before he says, "Gibbs…you don't have to worry about me. I have been alone for a long time before I met you. I can do it again."

"Tony…you need help. You can't…"

Tony didn't want to hear it, "Gibbs don't…"

Gibbs became angry; "No Tony…I have listen to you and now it's your turn to listen to me. You are my senior field agent and..."

Tony corrected him, "Were..."

Gibbs ignores him, "Tony…the first time I saw you I knew you were a good. You were smart and a quick thinker. I knew you would be a good addition to my team and that is why I wanted you. Kate and the others didn't come in with the training and experience like you did. I knew I was going to have to work more with them."

Tony wouldn't even look at him, "Gibbs…you don't think I understand all that but…it still hurts. To me…when I started working for you I believed I finally found a place were I belong…but you took that away when you started paying more attention to the others. I know it sounds very childish but that is how I feel."

"Why didn't you come and talk to me about it?"

Tony asked, "Just so you can embarrass me and tell me to grow up and be a man? No…that was not going to happen."

Gibbs knew Tony was right. He had always been harder on him, "Tony…I."

Tony cut him off, "Gibbs…if there was one wish I could have it would be to feel like I belong somewhere…a place where I mattered."

"Tony listen to me…I broke rule eight when it came to you. I took you for granted and I promise you I will never let that happen again."

Tony didn't say anything as he turns and stares at him for a few seconds before he turns back to watch the waves, "You know I came here hoping to feel my mother's presents but I don't feel her anymore."

Gibbs didn't like what he was hearing because he believes Tony had an alternative motive for coming here. He hoped he was wrong but odd are he wasn't. "Tony why don't you come back with me. Maybe if you talk with…"

"Please Gibbs…don't say it. Right now…I just don't want to talk to anyone. I just…I just want to…to."

"Want what?"

"To belong and to matter."

Gibbs heart nearly broke at the words. "Tony…please come back with me and I will prove to you that you matter to us."

"Alright Gibbs…but I…am not promising anything."

As Tony limps away from the beach he looks back toward the ghostly image of Dupree…he just wished he would go away.

Just two more chapters after this and then the story will be finished. I hope you enjoyed?


	12. Chapter 12

**Beautiful Child**

By Glow60

 _There will be one more chapter to after this. Thanks again for the ones who took time the review and comment. Also thanks to the ones who have been following this story._

My Usual Warnings…

 _* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine._

 _** This story is rated M because of the language and the subject matter. You have been warned if you don't like please do not read._

 **Chapter 12**

During the flight back, McGee calls Gibbs to let him know that Balboa and his team had found evidence that Smith had been helping Dupree all along. They found information on Smith computer showing that he had withdrawn a large amount of money on the same day Dupree kidnapped DiNozzo. They also found drugs and a small speaker with a recorder. The recorder had subliminal message that was directed solely at DiNozzo. Gibbs now had the proof he needed to put Smith behind bars for the rest of his life.

Once the plane landed, Tony was taking back to the hospital. Tests were taking and blood was drawn. The blood test show Tony had traces of a drug in his system. It was the same drug Abby found in Dupree's backpack and at Smith's house.

The next morning, Gibbs met with Smith and his lawyer. At first Smith, refuses to admit to any guilt until Gibbs shows him all the evidence they now have that proves he had helped his friend. Gibbs also told the doctor they believe Dupree had killed others during his time on the run and he will be charge with aiding and abetting in those murders. Lastly Gibbs told Smith he is going to make sure he never sees the light of day.

When Gibbs was finished with Smith he heads to the hospital. The Wilsons were visiting Tony. Gibbs told the old couple it was now safe for them to go home. The old couple was excited. They couldn't wait to get home and start rebuilding their house.

Sarah smiles at Tony, "Child…I know our place has bad memories for you but if you ever want to come visit us we would love to see you."

Tony thanks her but he wasn't sure he would ever visit them. Even though they were all safe now, Tony's demon was still with him. He looks over to the corner of the room he sees the ghostly image of Dupree staring at him. For once the apparition wasn't smiling, it just stares at him for a few seconds before it vanishes.

A few seconds later, Tony notices Gibbs staring at that very spot he was looking at just a few seconds ago. He wonders if the older man had seen what he had seen. He watches as Gibbs turns and looks at him but doesn't say anything.

The Wilson stayed for a couple of hours and then left.

After the old couple leave, Gibbs pulls out a newspaper that was stuffed in his jacket pocket and sits down in the chair next to the bed. Tony asks, "Boss…the danger is gone aren't you going to go home?"

"No DiNozzo…I'm staying here tonight to keep you company."

"I…don't understand."

Gibbs smiles, "I saw the look on your face at the beach. I saw the look on your face just a couple of hours ago. You see him don't you?"

"Boss?"

"You see Dupree don't you?"

"How did…did you know?"

"DiNozzo…I have seen that look before. You remember my friend Colonel William Ryan who kept seeing a dead soldier? He had that very same look you had."

"Boss…do you…you think I'm crazy?"

"No Tony…you went through a very traumatic experience. I think your mind is confused right now and it is still playing tricks on you. I know Dupree might visit you in your dreams and I want to be here. I want to have your six."

Tony smiles just a little. "Thanks Boss."

Gibbs grins a little; he likes the idea that Tony keeps calling him boss. He hopes one day he might be his boss again. Gibbs opens the newspaper and finds the page with the crossword puzzle. He began working on it.

Tony was bored so he started flicking through the TV channels until he found something that catches his attention. It was an old black and white movie. Tony smiles as he tells Gibbs, "The earliest movie I remember my mom taken me to see was this movie. It's the 1953 version of the Titanic. It stared Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck, Audrey Dalton and Robert Wagner. Back then my mom had this big crush on Robert Wagner. She told me Wagner remaindered her so much of my Dad. I really don't see the resemblance do you?"

Gibbs just grins.

An hour later, Tony was sound asleep. Gibbs could hear the soft snoring. Gibbs smiles as he puts the paper and pen down. He decides to head for the nurses' station to get him so coffee. He knows it is going to be a long night.

It was sometime in the middle of the night when Tony starts dreaming…

 _He dreams he is naked and his hands are bond above his head. When he opens his eyes he is hanging from a tree in the middle of a huge field. He starts to shake as he watches as dark figure moves slowly toward him. He knows it can only be one person. Seconds later Dupree is standing in front of him. He laughs as he asks; "DiNozzo…did you really think you can get away from me so easily? Do you think your Gibbs can protect you from me? It's not going to happen. You belong to me. You are mine forever."_

 _Tony is too afraid to talk. He watches as the tormentor of his dreams walks behind him. He can now feel Dupree's hands on his hips. He whispers, "I miss this."_

 _Tony is too scared to say anything. The thought of this man raping him again was too much. He panics and starts struggling but the ropes being cutting into his wrist and cause bleeding. He yells for Gibbs and begs him to help him._

 _Tony stops struggling when he hears Gibbs calling him._

"Tony wake up...come on…Tony you need to wake up."

As Tony opens his eyes a nurse walks into the room and asks, "Is everything okay in here?"

All Gibbs says is, "Mary…everything is under control. Tony was just having a bad dream."

The nurse leaves the room and Gibbs turns his attention back to Tony. He smiles when he sees familiar green eyes staring back at him, "You okay?"

Tony just nods.

"Good…would you like to talk about it?"

"No…I…I will be okay. Right now…I'm just too tired."

"Get some sleep. Don't worry…I am not going anywhere."

A few minutes later Tony was sound asleep. Gibbs was glad that Tony trusted him enough to go back to sleep.

Early the next morning, McGee stops by to drop off a change of clothes for Gibbs. Tony is still sleeping and Gibbs decides to go change his clothes and gets himself some fresh coffee. He leaves McGee alone with Tony. McGee keeps staring at his friend. He can't believe the difference one month would make. Right now if he passed Tony on the street he would not recognize him. Tony was just a shadow of himself. He had lost so much weight. His hair was just showing signs of starting to grow back. What bothered him the most were those dark circles around his eye.

McGee still feels guilty about what happened. He believes he should have been stronger and maybe Tony would have never been gone through the hell he did. He turns and walks toward the big bay window.

While McGee was lost in his thoughts he was not aware that Tony was watching him. Tony had been lying there pretending to be asleep. When McGee walked away Tony opens his eyes and just stares at him.

Finally after a few seconds Tony asks, "Are you real?"

McGee…almost jumps when he hears Tony's voice. He turns and asks, "Why…why would you ask me that?"

Tony repeated himself, "Just tell me are you real?"

"Yes…I am real…why would you ask me that?"

Tony sits up, "Right after I was taken…I tried to get Dupree to tell me what hap…pen to you. When he finally answered me he told me you were dead and it was my fault. He said I…should have protected you. He told me how worthless I was as an agent."

When McGee didn't say anything, Tony continued, "He is right you know. I…I am worthless. Hell even you told me that."

McGee walks toward the bed; "Tony…I never said such a thing."

"Yes…you did in a way. You remember right after Gibbs left us, you called me a temp…temporary team leader. And when I asked you if you thought I couldn't rate my own team. You told me I wouldn't be here now if I could."

"Tony…I am sorry I should have never said that to you."

Tony was not convinced, "No…you are not sorry. I remember you, Abby and even Ziva k…kept telling me that I…I was not Gibbs."

"Tony you got to understand we were all upset that Gibbs left and I am sorry we took it out on you."

Tony whispered, "Did…did any of you think…k that I might have missed Gibbs too?"

That statement tugged at McGee's heart, "Tony…I am sorry."

Gibbs had been standing in the hallway listening. He remembers the conversation between the two younger men. He remembers talking to McGee after Tony left the bullpen. He then remembers Shepard telling him there were some rocky moments but Tony really held the team together. At the time he never knew Tony's rocky moments were to do with McGee, Abby and Ziva. He wished he had asked Shepard more about it. If he had he would have had a long talk with the others. He knows DiNozzo can sometimes get a little too leadership happy but Tony was his second and when he was not there they should listened and respected his authority.

Gibbs' attention turns back to the two men in the room. McGee was talking now, "Tony there…there is something I need to tell you…do you remember that day you disappeared? I somehow made you angry when I questioned why only the two of us were going to a crime scene. You thought I didn't think you could handle the lead. Tony…I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just want you to know that."

"McGee I remember some of it but I…I wasn't really angry with you. I was angry at something that I had overheard that morning. It pi…piss…ed me off. I am sorry I shouldn't have taken it out on you…Probie."

McGee grins when he hears Tony favorite nickname for him.

Gibbs smiles…


	13. Chapter 13

**Beautiful Child**

By Glow60

 _Here is the last chapter...Thanks again for the ones who took time to review and leave comments. Also thanks to the ones who have been following this story._

My Usual Warnings…

 _* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine._

 _** This story is rated M because of the language and the subject matter. You have been warned if you don't like please do not read._

 **Chapter 13**

Around ten, McGee brought the Wilsons by to say their goodbyes. The older couple found Tony sitting up in his bed. He was talking to Gibbs and Abby. Tony smiles when he sees them.

Sarah walks over and hugs him. "Child…I am so glad you are looking so much better. James and I are getting ready to leave and we wanted to say our goodbyes."

She then releases him and steps back so James can have his time with the younger man. The old man shakes Tony's hand, "Son…we are so sorry for the hell our grandson put you through."

"Not your f…fault."

"Yes…but we still feel like it was. If only…"

Tony cut him off, "It is in the past and the past is the past."

James smiles, "Tony…my Sarah and I really like you. When you do get better we hope you will come to visit us. You can bring your friends too. I know our place has a lot of bad memories and if you decide not to come we understand."

Tony wanted to tell them he would visit but in the back of Tony's mind there was no way in hell he was going to go near that place. Tony watches as the old couple. He is going to miss them. He turns his attention back to the others.

It was quiet for a few minutes until Gibbs asks, "Tony…do you think you will ever visit them someday?"

"I…don't know Gibbs…I just really don't know. It's just too soon to tell."

A month later, Tony walks down the steps to Gibbs' basement. He found the older man packing a few things.

Gibbs looks up. He smiles because Tony is looking like his old self. The younger man's hair has grown back. No dark circles and he's gain some weight. He looks like his old self.

Tony smiles as he walks toward him, "Abby told me about the party. I want to go."

Gibbs studies the younger man's face before he asks, "Are you sure you're ready for it?"

"Yes…I am sure."

"Did you pack a bag?"

"It's in the truck. Abby and McGee are waiting outside."

"Good…help me carry some of these things to the truck."

Tony picks up one of the boxes, "You know Gibbs…I never understood why they call it a barn raising party when we have to work. Do you think we are supposed to bring something to the party? We could stop on the way and pickup some hotdogs?"

Gibbs just shakes his head as he follows the younger man up the steps.

 _I hope you enjoyed the story?_


End file.
